


Life Versus Living

by Faythren



Series: Learning to Live [1]
Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Mutants, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, F/M, Family Feels, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I'm saving the dinosaurs because I can, Original Mutant Character(s), Owen is an awesome one though, Pre-Movie(s), Raptor Puppy Piles, and a little after, because of course Vic is a terrible father, but the last couple chapters are the movie, but you won't recognize a lot, completed fic, just have to post it all, mostly - Freeform, pack bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-04-27 01:45:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 98,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5028907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faythren/pseuds/Faythren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The island has become a sort of sanctuary, a place where Liv can be herself, a mutant, without having to fear someone finding out, and because of his job she hardly ever sees Vic when she’s there.  She’s beaten less.  She can almost convince herself that she’s happy and that her family really isn’t so bad.</p><p>But then InGen starts up a new behavioral research project with the Velociraptors and hires Owen Grady.</p><p>Then she finds out that her definitions of 'happy' and 'family' may not be the right ones."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Liv

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if you know me from Transformers, you've been seeing this coming. I've been neglecting my Move Along fic in order to write this. I just couldn't let it go. It started as soon as I watched the movie for the first time, when that Apatosaurus died. During that scene I kept thinking, I wish someone was there to save her. And then when the raptors started dying the feeling only grew, so much that, by the time I left the theater, I started thinking about how to do it.
> 
> This is what I came up with.
> 
> This fic starts years before the movie, before the raptors are born. It will span those years, go through the movie, and then a little bit of the aftermath. And keep in mind, this fic is very AU, as my fics tend to be. There's only maybe three chapters where I used actual movie dialogue. The rest you won't really recognize, I changed it so much.
> 
> This is a prologue, to set the basis for the story and to give you some background. You get this plus one actual chapter tonight. The entire story is written, spanning 24 chapters, but I'm not going to post all at once. I'll post maybe two or three times a week.
> 
> Now, go onward and enjoy!

It’s not easy being Olivia Hoskins. Or, at least, it’s not easy being Vic Hoskins’s daughter. She’d rather just be Liv, and most of the time she can be. Her parents are divorced, have been since she was little, and her mother has the majority custody over her. When she’s with her mom, she’s just Liv and it’s easy. Her mom is the executive assistant to the CEO of a multimillion dollar company. Suffice it to say, she cares more about her boss than she does her daughter. Liv doesn’t mind though, so long as she thinks of it logically. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself, getting to school, making dinner, making sure her homework is done. She learned to be responsible at a very young age and she’s good at it. She stays out of her mom’s hair and the two of them cohabitate quite peacefully.

Every other weekend, though, Liv isn’t with her mom. She’s shipped off to stay with Vic, leaving Friday afternoon and returning Sunday afternoon. During those 48 hours she’s not Liv anymore. She’s Olivia, as her father calls her, despite the number of times she’s told him she prefers Liv. During that time she’s not just taking care of herself, she’s trying to survive.

Vic has high standards for her, the bar almost unattainably high. She’s allowed to get an A but not an A-, though an A+ is acknowledged with very little praise. She must be perfectly polite, not talk out of turn, and has to keep her nose out of his business. To fall even an inch off this line is met with severe discipline, and Vic decides that five years old is old enough to take a belt to the back or wrists. However, that leads to something none of them expected.

She’s X-gene positive.

Genes are the building blocks of all living things. They determine hair color, height, the shape of a face. They can help determine a person's talents, if someone will be fast enough for cross country racing, if someone will have a natural disposition towards art.

However, the X-gene determines special kinds of talents, talents not all humans have. If someone has the X-gene, it can give that person special abilities which seem almost magical at times. The ability to control magnetic fields. The power to read and control minds.

It can activate either with puberty or because of extreme emotional and/or physical circumstances. Society calls those with the X-gene mutants, because they are a new form of human, one that is rare and outlier to the normals.

They find out she’s a mutant when Vic gives Liv her first welt.

Her body reacts and before their eyes the welt heals, by itself, within minutes. The ability to heal oneself has been seen before in the mutant community and is commonly known as a healing factor. Vic makes her swear never to tell anyone she’s a mutant, not even her mom. On one hand, she can understand it. She isn’t too keen on letting everyone know she’s a mutant either. Mutants aren’t exactly accepted in the world with open arms. More like with fear and distrust. The ridicule in school alone would probably be more than she can bear, all because she was born different. All because she can do things almost no one else can.

Vic, however, uses it as an excuse to hit her as hard and as often as he wants. If she heals in minutes then it doesn’t matter, right? Other than that he doesn’t care about her mutation, though the way he looks at her sometimes whenever she heals makes her wonder if he really is as apathetic as he appears to be, though it isn't the usual fear. Whatever the truth, he hasn’t tried to understand more about her abilities.

But Liv has learned.

It doesn’t take her long to realize it's more than just a simple healing factor. She can sense the life in everything. It’s like an aura she can see if she concentrates hard enough, colors overlapping with the real world like a fine mist or a fog. Plants are green. Insects are yellow. Animals are orange. Humans are red. It seems the more intelligent the life, the darker the color. And with humans and some of the more intelligent animals, like dogs, she can see the bonds that have been forged, between people and people, dogs and dogs, even dogs and humans. Relationships, families, lovers, friends, it doesn’t matter so long as it creates a lasting connection between them. The bonds appear as a string of light running from one to another.

And to see it all is like a galaxy before her eyes.

She can do more than just see the life force in others, though. If she tries hard enough she can manipulate it. She can nurture it, make it grow and prosper, allowing her to make plants grow from a seed to a blooming flower in the palm of her hand, or heal a wounded animal. She imagines she subconsciously does it to herself whenever she heals.

Finding the time to practice has always been hard, but then the eighth wealthiest man in the world, Simon Masrani, buys InGen and invests the time, money, and resources into creating the dinosaur theme park known as Jurassic World. Masrani makes Vic the head of the InGen security division in charge of protecting the island and its inhabitants, and because of it Vic has to basically move to the island. Meaning on the weekends when Liv is shipped off to stay with Vic, she’s shipped off to Isla Nublar.

Things change a bit between her and Vic after that. He lets her wander off to explore the island and the attractions, his job and status giving her VIP access, and so long as she causes no trouble and stays out of restricted areas, he leaves her alone, too busy with his own job to care. So she explores every nook and cranny, scouting out all the areas accessible to visitors, and some of the ones that aren’t, and some she probably shouldn’t go into but still does. Her mutation allows her to sense when guards are coming and it doesn’t take long to figure out where all the security cameras are. With her knowledge she finds the places where she can be alone in peace and practice her abilities.

The island has become a sort of sanctuary, a place where she can be herself, a mutant, without having to fear someone finding out, and because of his job she hardly ever sees Vic when she’s there. She’s beaten less. She can almost convince herself that she’s happy and that her family really isn’t so bad.

But then InGen starts up a new behavioral research project with the Velociraptors and hires Owen Grady.

Then she finds out that her definitions of “happy” and “family” may not be the right ones.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, when I was trying to think of someone who could save the dinosaurs, my mind immediately went to mutant and took off from there. I like the places it went, though. I also went with my OC being Vic's daughter and then Vic being abusive, because apparently my mind loves to go there for my stories, but, really, it's easy to see Vic as being abusive if you ask me.
> 
> Now, hang on for a wild ride, cause seriously, it's going to be wild.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	2. Owen

The first time Liv meets Owen is when she’s thirteen.

Getting to Isla Nublar takes roughly three to four hours. She takes a plane from Miami to Costa Rica and then stops off at the mainland branch of InGen. InGen has a helicopter set aside for special guests visiting the island and Vic has authorized her to use it, placing her in the books so they are always ready and waiting for her whenever she arrives. One of Vic’s rules is that she has to report to him immediately upon arrival, so when the helicopter touches down on the roof of a concrete building set in the hills a little ways north of the main park, she seeks him out.

This building is the main hub of the park, its central nervous center. Everything that goes into keeping the park running happens here. The top few floors are administrative with offices, conference rooms, and the like. Below that is the Control Room. The room is dark, illuminated mostly by the computers set in rows in front of a wall of screens, but there are some overhead lights. Dozens of people are busy at the computer stations, working to keep track of the human visitors and the dinosaur “assets” that are on the island. Liv scans the room until she spots a woman down in front of the big monitors, short red hair perfectly sculpted and wearing deadly high heels.

Liv hoists her backpack higher on her shoulders and approaches the woman with a polite smile. “Ms. Dearing.”

Claire Dearing turns to face her wearing a polite smile of her own. “Liv, hello.”

Liv holds out a hand for Claire to shake and she accepts it with the same expression every time. One part baffled and one part like she finds it sort of adorable but is trying hard not to show it. It’s not exactly behavior that’s entirely normal between an adult and a young teen, but Liv learned early on that Claire doesn’t care much for anyone who isn't an adult. Kids and teens are too rambunctious and uncontrollable for her. She does appreciate Liv’s almost adult-like personality though, a byproduct of having to practically raise herself and Vic’s unique teaching techniques. Politeness is ingrained in her as a survival skill, one she happily uses with Claire. Even though Claire is wary around the young generations, Liv has a relatively friendly relationship with her.

“I didn’t realize this was one of your visiting weekends,” Claire says, looking at her phone to check the date. Or to check her messages. Knowing Claire, it’s probably the latter.

“Yeah, it is,” Liv says, unphased by the woman’s absentmindedness with anything not related to the running of the park.

“Let me guess. You need to know where your father is.”

Liv nods. “That would be nice, thank you.”

Claire’s smile widens a little, part baffled and adoring again. “Well, right now I believe he’s at the new Velociraptor paddock. Our new research team arrived last week and we need to make sure we’re ready for when the raptors are born.”

Liv’s eyes widen in excitement. “Are the raptors going to hatch soon?” She’s always loved the raptors most out of all of the other dinosaurs, even the more docile ones. There’s something captivating and beautiful about all of that power and ferocity they possess. Not to mention their auras are a deep, crisp orange that's almost red, the darkest color she’s ever seen any animal possess. Their intelligence is unbelievable.

“I hear it will be in just a few weeks.” Her phone chirps and she glances down at it. “You’ll have to ask Mr. Grady for something more specific. He’s in charge of InGen’s little pet project.” Her phone chirps again and she starts to turn. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work. I’ll see you later, Liv.”

“Bye, Ms. Dearing,” Liv says with a wave goodbye and then makes her way to the elevator, taking it down again to a series of tunnels that allow employees to traverse all areas of the park while avoiding tourists. They’re more hallways than tunnels, really, and wouldn’t look out of place in an office building with tiled floors and bright florescent lights. Liv sets a fast pace down the hallway that will take her to the Innovation Center, ending at some stairs leading to a locked door to keep tourists out. She types in the key code and then opens the heavy door to enter another hallway, the Creation Labs.

The Creation Labs are part of the Innovation Center, basically a glass hallway that allows tourists to look into the labs to get a glimpse of how dinosaurs came to be again without actually allowing any of them access. Liv pushes through the crowds towards the main room of the Innovation Center, filled with holographic displays, games, and more, dedicated to teaching park guests about the dinosaurs kept in the park, what their real, non-genetically modified ancestors were like, and about other dinosaurs not yet brought back to life by the labs. Liv bypasses all of it, exiting the building through a side door. She tries not to rush as she rounds to the back of the building where a series of employee vehicles are parked. She’s been looking forward to the baby raptors for months. If she’s lucky, she’ll be here when they’re born. But for now, she has to see Vic. Then she can play.

She hops onto her ATV and pulls out the keys she snagged before leaving the Control Room. Really, it isn’t her ATV, it belongs to the park, but she claimed it about a year ago and no one has ever stopped her from using it, not even Vic. Now, they actually leave it here just for her and make sure it’s kept filled with gas. She’s not sure if it’s because of who her father is or the workers here really are that friendly but don’t ever approach her because of Vic, but in any case, she’s grateful.

Starting it up, she takes the trail that leads her parallel with Gyrosphere Valley and into the restricted area at the north end of the island, her VIP wristband giving her special access since she’s Vic’s daughter. She follows the signs to the Research Center, taking special care to pay attention since she's never been there before, until she finds the paddock, located on the northwestern cliff of the island.

The paddock is octagonal in shape, big concrete walls with a massive door that leads straight into the paddock for the raptors and a caged area on one side acting as another entrance for humans to enter without risking the raptors escaping. The inner door of the cage leading into the paddock is like a big castle gate built to withstand any assault, whether they be human or dinosaur. The outer door is human-sized and one that InGen swears is raptor-proof since it was proved during the Jurassic Park Incident that Velociraptors have near human-like intelligence and are perfectly capable of figuring out how to open normal doors with normal locks. Hopefully an electronic keypad is enough to deter them. Right next to the cage are the stables, just a little indoor area where the raptors will be able to take shelter when they want or need it.

Several smaller buildings stand around the paddock, storage areas and the actual Research Center building for the trainers to work when they’re not working directly with the animals. She knows where Vic is as soon as she parks, sensing his muddy red aura on the catwalk that crisscrosses above the paddock.

Leaving her backpack on the seat of her ride, Liv runs a quick hand over her khaki pants and blue blouse, the uniform for her school, and over her light brown hair pulled high in a ponytail, making sure everything is smooth and neat. She wishes she could have had time to change before catching her flight but still pays no mind as she quickly walks through the dirt in her ballet flats and up the stairs to the catwalk.

She pauses a few feet from her father, a heavyset man with thinning brown hair, waiting for him to notice her. He’s staring out over the paddock, filled with trees and other plant life native to a prehistoric world and an open clearing in front of the cage. His eyes look hungry almost, like he’s a king overseeing his domain. Vic’s job is mainly security, especially with the increase in poacher activity around Isla Nublar and neighboring islands, but InGen has asked him to oversee this project for them as well. Based on an overheard phone conversation months ago, it may have even been Vic’s idea to try to train Velociraptors to obey human commands. But whatever he expects to happen from all of this, and she knows he expects something that will benefit him, Liv sincerely doubts it will end up with him as king. She knows better than to speak those thoughts, though, so she stays quiet, hands patiently clasped in front of her.

“Do you know what this is?” Vic asks, still not looking at her.

“No, sir,” she answers, knowing the obvious answer of “the raptor paddock” wouldn’t be received well.

“This here is the dawn of a new era. When the boys are done with those raptors the world’s gonna change.” He turns to her, victory in his eyes and in the smirk stretching in the middle of his goatee, even though the raptors are still in their eggs. Whatever he’s planning, he’s eager. But then he shakes his head, like he’s remembering she’s just a little kid, or so he likes to say. “Anyway, you got a report card this week, right?”

“Yes.”

He holds out an expectant hand. “Well, where is it? Give it here.”

She struggles not to wince. “It’s in my backpack downstairs.”

“Well, what good does that do me?” He grabs her by the scruff of her neck, fingers clenching hard as he forcefully turns her around and pushes her towards the stairs. She grabs onto the railing to keep herself from falling, feeling herself bruise, but her healing factor is already taking care of it. The throbbing ache doesn’t last long but that doesn’t mean it hurts any less.

They go back downstairs and Liv rifles through her backpack until she finds her report card, handing it to him with a lowered head. He snatches it out of her hand, his eyes skimming over the paper. “Says here you got an A- in math,” he grouses. “Last I checked, you had an A+.”

“I did, sir,” she says carefully, her hands clenching sporadically at her sides, “but I had a test that was kind of hard.”

He hits her hard on the side of the head with the same hand that holds her report card and she whimpers softly at the pain, careful not to be too loud. “Well, get your grade back up! I know any kid of mine can do better than that.” He lets the paper go and it flutters to the ground.

She kneels down to pick it up, saying a quiet, “Yes, sir.”

Don't do anything else stupid, she tells herself. Don't do anything else that might set him off.

“Now come on,” he says impatiently. “They should be finished getting the eggs settled.” He heads off towards the Research Center, Liv struggling to keep up behind him.

“They’re keeping the eggs here instead of in the lab?” she asks tentatively.

“Yeah.” He shrugs. “Something about imprinting on them and needing to start while they’re still in their eggs.”

He flings the door open and she follows him inside. The front of the building is basically just a collection of desks with computers, not nearly as fancy as what they have in the Control Room but still state-of-the-art, and a small kitchenette off to one side. At the back of the building is another door and they go through there to find a group of seven men, each looking more like hunters instead of researchers with their cargo pants, button-up shirts with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, and large knives strapped somewhere on their lower back or waist. They’re circled around an incubator, a machine with bright lights to provide warmth over top a nest of hay. There’s also a robotic arm that’s supposed to turn the eggs to keep them evenly warmed but it appears to be off now.

One of the researchers, a man younger than Vic, probably in his mid-thirties with short brown hair and scruff on his chin and upper lip, is handling the eggs himself. He’s wearing latex gloves and cradles the eggs in his hands with the gentlest care, like they’re newborn pups. He holds the eggs up close to his face one by one, talking softly to them before returning them to the nest.

There’s four eggs in all, kind of oblong and with shells that look thicker and harder than chicken eggs.

“Hey, fellas,” Vic says and the men turn to look at him with slight frowns on their faces. Liv doesn’t know how well any of them know Vic but it looks like he didn’t make a very good first impression. She’s not surprised. Few people ever actually like her father. “Our new project about ready to roll?”

“Hoskins,” the man in the center of the group greets cordially despite his dislike for Vic. Carefully, he places the egg in his hands back in the nest. “The eggs are doing fine. Should hatch in another week or two. Three tops.”

“Good, good.” Vic’s voice is filled with breathless anticipation that makes Liv nervous. “How soon can we expect results?”

The man grimaces and moves through the circle of men to stand in front of Vic, arms crossed. “They’re not robots, Vic. They’re animals, and not all animals can be trained.”

“There are guys all over the world who train lions and tigers for performances.” Vic stands to his full height, trying to be intimidating. “Are you saying you’re not up for the task?”

The man’s jaw ticks, his eyes narrowing. “These raptors are in good hands. But they’re the smartest animals on the planet. They may not take to training as easily as a dog or even a tiger. Having them this young helps, I can imprint on them as their alpha and they’ll think of me as their parent as we take care of them and raise them. But once they’re fully grown? They could decide not to have me as an alpha anymore. If they decide to overrule my authority, they can and they will.”

“If they decide to be rebellious then show them who’s boss with a couple of volts. Pain is a good motivator.”

A flash of anger crosses the man’s face. “Do that and they’ll never trust me or any human again.”

Liv swallows heavily, feeling kind of sick, so she tunes out of the discussion that, knowing Vic, could be turning into an argument in a few minutes. Instead, she turns her attention to the incubator and the four Velociraptor eggs. The group of trainers are gone, they left to go outside and let the man and Vic go at it, but the man is standing partly in her way. She lifts herself up on her tiptoes and leans, trying to get a better look. There’s already a faint aura around the eggs, a pale orange that will grow and deepen as the raptors get older. The man is right, based on the life she can sense within the eggs, they’ll be hatching in just a few short weeks.

A solid hand plops down on her shoulder, forcing her to stop fidgeting and stand flat on her feet again. She glances up at Vic out of the corner of her eye and he’s glaring at her disapprovingly.

“Who is this anyway?” the man asks, looking at Liv curiously.

Vic’s fingers squeeze around her shoulder, silently telling her to behave, as he replies, “This is my daughter, Olivia. Olivia, this is Owen Grady, the man in charge of training the Velociraptors.”

Liv holds out a hand for Owen to shake and he takes it a little disbelievingly. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Grady,” she says.

“Uh, likewise.” His eyes flit back and forth between them. By the look on his face he’s probably wondering how she could possibly be Vic’s daughter. Vic’s certainly never been known to be nice and polite. She likes the distinction between her and Vic, how she’s so different from him. It allows her to sometimes pretend she isn’t really his daughter.

Inexplicably drawn, Liv leans slightly to the side to look around Owen at the eggs again. Then Vic’s hand squeezes her tighter and she instantly straightens. Glancing at Owen, she hopes he didn’t notice. Based on the way his eyes narrow at Vic’s hand, though, she knows he did. Owen opens his mouth to say something but then Vic’s phone goes off. Vic lets her go and answers it, going back out into the main room to talk to whoever it is, completely ignoring them. She breathes a small sigh of relief and then looks at the eggs, shuffling on her feet a little.

“Do you want to get a closer look?” Owen suddenly asks.

She jerks her attention back to him and he’s smirking slightly. Excitement bubbles in her stomach. “May I?” she asks, unsure if he is being serious.

“Sure, come on.” He leads her over to the incubator and she stops a few feet away, almost afraid of getting too close. She looks over her shoulder at the door. “It’s alright.” Owen is motioning her closer with his hand. “You can come closer. They don’t bite. Yet.”

He grins at her and she smiles shyly back, stepping closer until she's standing right next to Owen and leaning over the eggs. Based on their life force she can tell all four of them are girls, though she didn't really need to look in order to know that. All dinosaurs in Jurassic World are girls, their genetics manipulated in the lab to guarantee it. All of the dinosaurs are also born sterile.

They wanted to be absolutely certain there wouldn't be any accidental breeding.

"Do you want to hold one?" Owen asks and she nods enthusiastically.

He hands her a pair of gloves like the ones he still wears and then gently places one of the eggs in her cupped hands. It's heavier than she thought it would be, and rougher. And a lot bigger than her hands. As soon as Owen lets go so she's holding it on her own she tenses, trying to be extra careful so as not to drop it. This is a life in her hands. This Velociraptor may have been cooked up in a lab, mixed with the DNA of different animals, but it is still a precious, precious life. Liv is terrified for these raptors all of a sudden, terrified of what Vic has in mind for them.

"What are you going to do with them?" she asks quietly, hoping to understand what it is Vic is planning.

"We're doing behavioral research," he says, stroking a finger along the length of the egg. "We're hoping to teach them to respond to commands, you know, like the whale trainers at Sea World and stuff like that.” He frowns slightly. “Except we’re better than Sea World. A lot better."

Liv bites her lip. That certainly has a lot of possibilities. Dangerous possibilities. "Will it really work?"

"I don't know. Your dad seems to think it will but I don't think it'll be as perfect as what he's imagining. Even at Sea World, the whales hurt the trainers sometimes, people even getting killed. Like I said, they're wild animals, not robots. We'll never be able to completely control them."

"But you'll still take care of them? No matter what happens?"

"Of course," he says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "They could completely hate my guts and I'll still take care of them. If this research project of theirs doesn't work, it's not the raptors' fault. InGen is just expecting too much." He carefully takes the egg back from her and returns it to the nest. "They'll be allowed to comfortably live out their lives, whether as one of their attractions, like the T-Rex, or just staying out here. I'll make sure of it."

The door opens and Vic sticks his head through. "Olivia."

She straightens, taking a step back away from the incubator and Owen. "Yes, sir?"

"I've gotta go." He points a finger at her, almost threateningly. "I want you in your room by eight o'clock, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir." She suppresses the urge to roll her eyes. It's the same as it always is when she visits. It really isn't necessary for him to remind her every time, like she's an infant.

"Good. And make sure you behave." He then leaves, the door swinging closed behind him.

When Vic is sure to be gone Owen asks, "Is he always that strict with you?"

"Yes," she says, not looking at him as she takes off her gloves and throws them away in a nearby trashcan, "he is."

He's quiet for a long time, so long that she thinks he's gone back to working and she's fixing to decide to leave, when he says, "Olivia, if anything ever happens, if he does something you don't like, you come tell me, alright?"

Liv looks up at him in surprise from behind the sweep of her bangs, and there is just such sincerity in him, unlike anything anyone has ever shown her before. Vic is practically his superior, in a way, but Owen is completely serious that he will help her. She takes a quick look at his aura, a bright, vibrant red enveloping him, and she knows that if she does ever need help, she can go to him.

"Okay," she says quietly, a small smile lighting her face. "I will."

Though she may never actually go to him for help, the fear of what Vic would do to her too strong in her mind, she makes the promise anyway. It seems to placate him at least and he nods, slipping off his own gloves.

Glancing at the clock, she lets out an almost disappointed sigh. She still has a lot of homework this weekend and wants to get it all done today so she can have the rest of the weekend free. But she's enjoying herself here. And the company. "May I...come back here tomorrow?" she asks, unsure if it would be a bother. Unsure if it is even something she's allowed to ask.

"Sure thing, kid," he agrees readily. "You can come here whenever you want. Maybe tomorrow I can show you around the paddock."

"I'd like that." She backs away towards the door and gives him a bright grin. "See you tomorrow, Mr. Grady."

"See you tomorrow, Olivia."

Her nose screws up in displeasure. "Please, call me Liv."

"Well, in that case, Liv, you can call me Owen. None of this Mr. Grady stuff. It gives me hives."

She giggles. "Deal. Bye, Owen."

He waves. "By, Liv."

As she exits the Research Center and climbs back on her ATV Liv thinks, yeah, maybe things won't turn out so bad after all. Not with someone like Owen watching over the raptors. They really are in good hands.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	3. Paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I just want to say a quick thanks to everyone who has kudos/bookmarked this story so far after just two chapters. You all are awesome and I'm glad you like it so far.
> 
> So, here is the next chapter, as promised. I've decided that I'm going to post three chapters a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. That'll get this work done by the beginning of December. And it's only right that I post today anyway. The Jurassic World DVD comes out today! I can't wait to get my copy.
> 
> Alright, go onward and enjoy!

Liv may get a lot of privileges with her VIP wristband, but she's still not allowed to take her ATV out into Gyrosphere Valley. They say it's too dangerous with all the dinosaurs roaming around, she'd be too at risk of getting stepped on, even though she's not an idiot and is perfectly capable of avoiding the animals. So the only way she's allowed out into the Valley is in a Gyrosphere.

Liv's VIP wristband gets her to the front of the line for the Gyrospheres, at least. She straps into her sphere, alone, and when she's clear of the loading platform she takes the controls in hand with practiced ease, zipping off into the Valley. Certainly not as fast as her ATV, but it's better than nothing.

There are invisible fences set up all throughout the Valley designed to keep the animals and the spheres from wandering where they're not supposed to. It works kind of like dog collars. With a dog collar, sensors are set up along the perimeter of the yard, the collar is attached to the dog, and when the dog gets too close to the sensors they send a signal to the collar that then shocks the dog. The transmitters injected into the dinosaurs will shock them if they get too close to the invisible fence. With the Gyrospheres, they automatically veer back on course.

However, Liv has had years to find out how the Gyrospheres work.

Using her pocket knife, she pries open a metal panel in the central console between the two seats and disconnects the wire leading to the sphere's transmitter. With the transmitter deactivated she's able to go wherever she wants, no longer hindered by the fences, and the sphere's coordinates are no longer being transmitted back to the Control Room so no one will even notice she's wandering off. It's like her sphere never even existed.

Liv zooms through the Valley in the clear morning sunlight, dodging around a herd of Apatosaurus and heading west. There's a stretch of beach on the far side of the Valley about a half mile past an invisible fence so the dinosaurs can't venture out this far. People don't wander this way either, leaving the coast all to Liv.

She doesn't go all the way out to the beach though. There's a grouping of trees halfway between the fence and the water creating almost like a mini forest. She slows the sphere as she gets closer, following the strip of dirt where the grass has worn away from so much travel until she is completely consumed by the trees. Stopping, she gets out, using a big green tarp she leaves here and a bunch of branches to hide the sphere just in case. Then she meanders through the trees and undergrowth, checking on the progress of the plants she's made.

All of this green life covering about an acre of land are plants she's planted and grown herself, using her mutant ability to accelerate their growth. There are trees here two stories tall and only about a year old. As she walks she reaches out to the plants she passes, sensing the soft green auras around her and nurturing them.

Then she gets to the heart of her little paradise.

Liv breaches the tree line to stand in a small meadow, soft grass caressing her bare ankles beneath her capris and dotted with splashes of color from dozens of different flowers. Tulips, begonias, daisies, orchids, and so, so much more. It doesn't matter if they're native to this area or not, Liv's able to help them prosper in any conditions so long as she routinely takes care of them. She spins in slow circles, eyes closed and arms spread wide, just breathing in the sweet fragrance.

She loves it here. Here, she can be anyone she wants to be. There are no expectations. No rules or consequences. Just her, Liv.

She plops down in the center of her meadow and takes out a book from the backpack she brought with her, a new si-fi/fantasy she's been wanting to break into for weeks. Hours pass as she enjoys the serenity and solitude, the bright sunlight warming her skin. It's February, making it kind of cold even in Florida, but on Isla Nublar the temperature never drops below sixty and usually reaches mid to upper eighties.

To her, it's a perfect, beautiful day.

She reads. Eats lunch. When one of the patrol drones comes a little too close for comfort she hides in the foliage. All in all, by the time one o' clock rolls around she feels the happiest she's felt in a while.

Then the low rumbling of a vehicle's engine bounces between the trees.

Liv freezes, stomach clenching tight in fear. No one ever ventures this far. She should be safe, she's always been safe, but as she listens, hoping, praying, that the engine will move on and fade, it instead cuts off. Someone has stopped near her paradise.

She quickly gathers her things, stuffing them into her backpack while striving not to make a sound. Someone being here could just be a coincidence. They're not necessarily looking for her. Maybe a dinosaur escaped the fence. They're just here to collect it and return it to its habitat. All she has to do is remain unseen and she'll be fine. Vic won't ever find out she's out here.

Boots crunch over dry, dead leaves. Her breath hitches. They're coming in. Staying low, she takes to the forest, using the bushes as cover until she gets a good distance in. Then she pauses, cautiously looking around. She doesn't know who it is or how many of them there are or where they are but she needs a hiding place. Thinking quickly, she climbs the nearest tree, one with a big, wide canopy with plenty of leaves and branches to cover her. She climbs halfway up the canopy and then carefully perches on one of the thick branches, eyes scanning the forest floor below her.

Twigs snap. Leaves rustle. She slowly takes off her backpack, hooking the straps on a branch above her head, and then lays down across the branch she's on. Peeking through the tree, she can see someone walking through the forest wearing cargo pants, a button-up shirt, and brown vest like she saw the raptor trainers wearing yesterday. What would any of them be doing out here?

Then he comes closer her way and there's a bigger gap between the leaves so she can see his face. It's Owen, looking around at her forest curiously, but by the way his eyes roam over everything, like a hawk, she knows he's being careful about taking in his surroundings, never knowing if there might be something out here. She knows there isn't though. Some birds, squirrels, monkeys, and other small animals, each with a little orange aura, but nothing dangerous.

Something else snaps and he stops in his tracks. It wasn't him that made the sound. It was a lot closer to her actually. There's another snap, drawing his attention to the tree she's in. And drawing her attention up. The branch her backpack is hanging from, it's starting to break, the wood splitting and splintering near the trunk. Owen's eyes haven't been drawn up yet so she reaches, slowly, slowly, for her backpack, trying not to move too suddenly. She can't quite reach so she pushes herself up with her other hand. Her fingers just brush against the fabric of the backpack when the branch lets out a loud crack, breaking completely, the branch and her backpack plummeting to the ground. They land with a hard thump a few feet away from Owen.

Well, there's no missing that.

She draws herself flush against the branch she's on again, barely peeking over the side, but she can see that Owen's eyes are now looking up, scanning through her tree.

"Who's up there?" he asks sternly, one hand slipping behind him, probably going for the knife she saw he had strapped to the small of his back yesterday. "Show yourself."

Liv rests her forehead against the bark of the branch, closing her eyes tight in fear. She doesn't know what to do. Disabling one of the Gyrospheres and sneaking out into a restricted area, either act on its own would get her into major trouble with Vic. But both of them? She's in for one of the worst beatings of her life, including the time Vic accidentally broke her arm. He may even do it on purpose this time.

But that's only if Owen rats her out.

Would he do that? Would Owen bring her in by the neck, hand her over to Vic, and tell her father what she's done? Owen seemed nice yesterday, but any of the workers here would consider what she's done reckless and dangerous, even though she really is perfectly safe.

"I know you're up there," Owen calls out. "Come on. Don't make me come up there. I'll drag you down if I have to."

She sighs deeply. She really doesn't have a choice, does she? Resignedly, Liv starts to scale down the tree, jumping the last few feet to stand in front of Owen. She keeps her head down, eyes on the ground, like a kid caught drawing on the walls.

While tensed for the slap to the face.

"Liv," he says, voice short. "What do you think you're doing out here?"

"I come out here to get away," she says softly. "It's nice and quiet. Peaceful."

"And dangerous."

"The fences keep the dinosaurs from coming this far."

"And how did you get this far? I know you wouldn't have access to the gate leading out here."

"I took a Gyrosphere."

"The Gyrosphere's can't pass the fences any more than the dinosaurs can."

"I..." She gulps, but since hesitation usually gets her bruises she keeps going. "I deactivated the transmitter."

"You  _what_?" he snaps but she knows that tone from Vic. It's a rhetorical question. "You could have been seriously hurt and no one would have known you were out here."

"But I wasn't hurt," she says, voice quivering slightly, but she has to remember that this isn't Vic. She won't get hit for stating her case. At least, she hopes she won't be. And convincing him that coming out here isn't dangerous is the only chance she has of getting Owen to not tell Vic. "I never have been as long as I've been coming out here because I'm not stupid enough to go anywhere near the dinosaurs and the spheres go faster than the top speed of the fastest animal in the Valley. Besides, the sphere has its own built-in invisible barrier that keeps the dinosaurs from getting too close and then there's the bulletproof glass. I've been perfectly safe."

Owen lets out a frustrated sigh, running a hand roughly over his face. "And what if you had been hurt, huh? How would anyone have found you?"

"I have my phone. I can call for help if I need it and Vi…my father can track it with the GPS locater on it."

"How is Vic okay with all of this?" he asks, shaking his head in disbelief.

She had hoped he wouldn't ask that but it's not like she can just not answer, so she hunches her shoulders and says, "He doesn't know."

He lets out a string of curses and she tenses even further, ducking her head again with eyes screwed shut tight. Owen suddenly goes unnaturally quiet.

"Liv," he says, barely above a whisper, "are you alright?"

Her throat closes up. No, she's not alright. He's going to hit her, that's what cursing always means, or at the very least he's definitely going to tell Vic and then she's going to get hit a lot. She doesn't want to get hit. She doesn't care if she heals, she doesn't like the pain, doesn't want it again. Despite all that, she simply nods. Because what else can she do?

"Liv…you know I'm not gonna hurt you, right?"

She looks up in surprise at that and the look on his face...it's like she physically pained  _him_. She doesn't know how to respond to this, because he looks sincere, but she had been so sure he would hurt her. So she just stares, dumbfounded, blinking her tears away and trying not to cry.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," he says again, taking a small step forward. She cringes back a little, wrapping her arms around herself and wondering for a moment if this is some sort of trap. Vic's used traps before. Lure her close with a smile and then lets it drop away with a punch. But Owen doesn't do that. He instantly stops on her reaction, holding up his hands placatingly, palms out. "I'm not," he stresses. "I won't ever hurt you. I promise."

She struggles over the words, her voice sounding choked, "Are…are you going to tell Vic?"

His mouth downturns in a deep frown, his eyes examining her up and down as if he's searching for something. He lowers his hands, holding out one for her to take. "Come with me."

She draws back and a small whimper escapes her throat. He is going to hurt her or he's going to take her to Vic and let him hurt her, it's all a trap, it's all a trap, it's all a trap.

"Hey, hey," he says softly, like he would to a frightened animal. "It's alright. I'm just going to take you to the Research Center. You wanted to see the raptor eggs again, right?"

She narrows her eyes at him suspiciously. It still sounds an awful lot like a trap.

"Nothing bad's gonna happen. We're just gonna take a little ride. I promise." He stares at her, pleadingly. "Please, trust me, Liv."

Trust isn't exactly something she has a positive experience in. She can trust her father will hit her again in the future. She can trust her mother to almost never be home. But can she trust Owen?

As she reaches out a shaking hand, placing it in his, she realizes that she would like to.

He smiles at her softly, and a bit in relief. His warm fingers wrap around her hand, so much larger than hers. She expects him to be rough, when Vic grabs her he always holds on so tightly her fingers turn white, but Owen is gentle. She grabs her backpack and then with a slight tug, not the jerky pulls Vic uses, he leads her back out of the forest.

"So," he says casually, still holding her hand, "where did you stash that Gyrosphere you stole?"

"It's just up ahead," Liv says, pointing to a grouping of bushes where they can just barely see the bulge of the tarp. "And I didn't steal it. I borrowed it."

He snorts amusedly.

"I did," she insists, thinking he doesn't believe her, but when she looks up at him he's holding in laughter. A smile tugs at her mouth. "I had every intention of bringing it back when I was done with it. And reconnecting the transmitter."

"Sure, kid. Whatever you say." He squeezes her hand once and then let's go so he can use both hands to clear off the sphere. "Now, let's get this thing back where it belongs. The spheres have an autopilot or something, right? So it can go back on its own?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so. Let me see." She opens the sphere and takes a seat. There's a computer built into the center console, a small touchscreen that plays a prerecorded guide through the Valley. Touching the screen to bring up the main menu she easily finds the option named "Return to Base" and presses it. She quickly jumps out of the sphere before the door closes on her and then it rolls off into the Valley. Its transmitter is still deactivated, it needs to be if it's going to make it past all of the fences, but hopefully the Gyrosphere Operator just assumes it's a faulty sphere and calls maintenance.

Owen leads her to the outskirts of the forest where a motorcycle is parked. He hops on and looks back at her where she's stopped a few feet away. "Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle before?" She shakes her head no. "Don't worry, it's easy. Just climb on behind me." He holds out a hand and she takes it again, this time with significantly less hesitation, and he helps her climb on the bike. Once she's settled, her front pressing into his back, he guides her arms around him. "You hold on real tight, alright? I don't have a helmet so if you fall off it's gonna hurt a lot."

She nods. It would hurt more than just a lot, if she falls off it could potentially kill her, but it's not like she wears a helmet while riding her ATV either. Still, she doesn't know if her healing factor can work on fatal wounds and she doesn't plan on finding out anytime soon, so she holds on as tight as she can as he starts up the bike and then they take off.

The wind roars past them as they race through the Valley, the warm air snatching at her tank top and stinging her face. She's still worried, about what Owen's going to do, about if Vic finds out about her little ventures, but it's hard to think about that in this moment. In this moment, Liv is completely at ease, like she's back in her paradise. Like nothing can touch her or hurt her here.

All too soon it ends, Owen stopping the bike outside the Research Center. They climb off and Liv stares up at him questioningly. If he's going to tell Vic, or anyone, what she's been up to, now would be the time.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do," he says. "We're going to compromise."

Her brow furrows in confusion, not expecting this. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm not going to tell your dad about you running off into the Valley." Hope soars in her chest, the relief of tension and fear making her knees feel weak. "But on one condition: you don't go out alone in the Gyrospheres anymore."

"Then how am I going to get there?"

"Easy, you want to go out there, you tell me, and I'll take you there on my bike. That way I know where you are and that you at least get there safe."

"What about when I'm ready to leave?"

"Give me your phone." She slips it out of the side pocket of her backpack, unlocks it, and hands it to him. He types out something on it and then hands it back to her. "I programed my number in. You text me in advance when you want to go out and you text me when you want to come back. And you better call me if you're in any kind of trouble. Got it?"

This way she may not always be able to go out when she wants to if Owen is busy and the idea of needing an escort is kind of silly to her, but if this is what it takes for Owen to not tell her father? She'll take it. Nodding eagerly she says, "Yeah, I got it. Thank you, Owen."

He smirks but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. It almost looks…sad. "Sure thing, kid." Before she can ask him what's wrong he's motioning her towards the Research Center. "Now come on. We've got some eggs to check on."

There's no one inside the building when they enter, not even in the back, but Liv only wonders for a moment where everyone is. Then Owen is handing her gloves to put on and they're picking up the eggs. She stares down at the one in her hands, the novelty of this little life, one that will grow up to be so ferocious, never really wearing off. She can't wait to see them hatch, wondering how small they'll be, how long it'll take for them to grow up. She looks up at Owen to ask him but pauses when she sees him talking to the egg in his hands like he did yesterday, so quiet she can't make out the words. "What are you saying to them?"

He looks up at her a little sheepishly. "All sorts of things. What they are, where they are, how I hope they accept me as their alpha. Doesn't really matter. I just want them to get used to the sound of my voice."

"Can they really hear you inside the eggs?"

"Sure. This far along, their auditory systems are fully functional."

"Why are you getting them used to your voice?"

"It's part of the imprinting process."

Vic used that word too, though it didn't sound like he understood what it meant either. "What's imprinting?"

"When an animal is born it imprints on the first thing it sees. In the wild, it's usually the animal that gave birth to it. The baby recognizes that animal as its parent, its provider. That's what I'm trying to do. I'll be the first thing these raptors see when they're born. I'll feed them and take care of them. They'll see me as their parent and I'll establish myself as their alpha. I'm getting them used to the sound of my voice so that, when they hatch, they'll recognize it and be more likely to listen to me. Or at the very least not eat me."

Liv smirks mischievously. "So they're going to think you're their daddy?"

He barks out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess you could see it that way, but as they grow older they'll see me as more their alpha, the head of the pack, the leader, the alpha male. As alpha, hopefully they'll be more susceptible to my commands. Even with that, though, it's not like they'll ever be domesticated." He sets his egg down and moves on to the next. "I think that's what Vic wants, a lap dog. But these animals will never be like that. The most we can hope for is their trust, but trust can be very powerful."

Liv watches Owen taking care of these eggs as if they're his own children and she thinks that everything will turn out just fine. He'll become the raptors' alpha. If he treats them in any way like he treats her, then these animals will find it very easy to trust him, just as she's already starting to.

* * *

After seeing to the eggs, Owen takes Liv out to the paddock and shows her around, all the while wondering if he did the right thing. He was exploring the island when he found her, out in the wild, alone, with almost no protection. He was furious. And completely afraid. She's just a kid. She could have been hurt. She could have been killed. And if that had happened….

Liv has an endearing quality to her that's made Owen like her almost instantly. She's curious and smart, insanely polite, and she can be a bit of a spitfire, though it seems to be hidden most of the time.

The possible reason for that makes him shudder.

Owen's been watching her carefully and so far, he can't see any physical signs of abuse. From what he can see of her body, there are no bruises or signs of past breaks. She doesn't walk funny. She wasn't moving tenderly after the ride on his bike. But she's obviously afraid of her father, a fear that runs so deep that she was close to tears at the thought of Vic finding out about her secret wanderings. And she was afraid that Owen would hurt her, scared of even letting him touch her. In an animal, that's a clear sign of past abuse from a human.

But if she's being abused, wouldn't she have told her mom? Her mom has her most of the time from what he can tell. If Vic is abusing her, it would be simple for the mom to get full custody and then Liv would never have to see her dad again. If he is abusing her, then Liv hasn't told anyone anything. Does she not trust her mom to help? Is her mom no better than her dad?

Either way, there's just no proof that he can see. Vic seems to be a strict parent, considering that eight pm curfew, but that's all Owen has seen. Until he knows more, until Liv actually talks to him about it, there's nothing Owen can do. He trusts his instincts, though. They got him through the Navy, they've helped him deal with the animals he's trained for years, and they've never steered him wrong. Right now, they're telling him that Vic is hurting Liv somehow. That's why he promised not to tell Vic. If Owen is right, Vic would have hurt her bad.

And that is something he will not stand for.

Owen will protect her in any way he can, this girl with the lonely brown eyes who doesn't seem to have anyone to watch out for her. He only meant to take on a raptor pack when accepting this job, but one more won't hurt. Especially if it's Liv.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Liv and Owen are starting to get closer and closer. I want them to have a father/daughter relationship. I hope I developed this right. I'm paranoid of Owen coming across as a pedophile for some reason even though he doesn't have those kinds of feelings for her at all.
> 
> We get raptors next chapter though! Yay!
> 
> Alright, hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	4. Birthdays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp, time for another chapter. The raptors show up now, yay! This is probably one of my favorite chapters, especially the Owen part at the end.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Being with her mom or being with her dad, Liv's never really cared for either very much. Her mom has an apartment in Miami. During any given week, Liv will see her mom maybe a handful of times, and almost always just in passing. She can easily go an entire day without seeing her mom at all. The solitude is nice sometimes, like what she has in her paradise on the island, but most of the time it's just lonely. She may not need her mom to take care of herself, being with her mom may be easy, but it's not what she wishes she had.

Being with her dad on the island means a lot more people. Sometimes she'll go out to the park to interact with the tourists, making nice with them, helping those who are lost or looking for a specific attraction, but she's never forged anything beyond temporary acquaintances. Both her parents have a ban on friends. It's one of the few things they actually agree on. She's to focus on her studies, make it into a good college, and step right into a terrific career. She wouldn't be surprised if one or both of them have her entire future planned out for her already. And none of it includes friends. Being on the island and in the park circumvents that a little bit, but it far from fills the hole she almost physically feels deep in her chest.

Being with Vic also means the possibility of being beaten. That's the only plus side to being with her mom.

But when the two weeks with her mom start to wind down this time, her weekend with Vic fast approaching, Liv actually sees herself looking forward to it. And it's because of Owen and those raptors.

Owen is probably the closest thing Liv has to a friend. Claire is a close second, but that relationship is still a little too stiff, though that's not to say it couldn't change one day. Still, Owen made her laugh and genuinely smile. When was the last time she did either of those things that wasn't out of politeness or completely fake? She honestly can't say. Being with him, it makes her feel like a real, whole person, and she's quickly becoming addicted to the feeling.

And then there's the raptors. She's really looking forward to watching them grow up. She knows they're not pets but…she hopes she can take part in their lives at least. Maybe help take care of them. Even if it's just carrying pales of food or whatever. They're supposed to hatch soon, and as Liv goes from the plane to the helicopter, leg bouncing impatiently all the way, she hopes that day will be today. Especially today.

The helicopter barely touches down on the helipad and then she's racing from it, towards the Control Room in her search for Vic. She's actually trying to find her father as fast as possible. The sooner she checks in with Vic, the sooner she can go to the Research Center. Thankfully, Vic is already in the Control Room, hovering over the shoulder of one of the workers stationed at a computer. She tolls down her excitement so that he won't notice and waits for him to acknowledge her. All she gets is a quick look and a reminder of her curfew.

She winces. That actually hurts this time. He's obviously forgotten what today is. Though it's rare that he actually remembers and she wasn't really expecting anything from him anyway. She brushes it off, or, at least, tries to. It shouldn't matter. Her mom didn't remember either, didn't even take the chance to say goodbye.

With the absentminded dismissal she heads towards the elevator, giving Claire a passing wave. She spends the ride over to the Research Center pushing aside Vic's forgetfulness, purging it from her mind, and focusing on the raptors. Will they be hatched already? Will they hatch today? Tomorrow? Not until next week and she'll have to miss it? She parks her ATV and races inside the building and then to the back room.

Two other trainers are in there, one on a computer on the far wall and the other, a black man, standing beside Owen with a tablet, both of them with eyes on the eggs, still unhatched. But not unmoving. They're jiggling slightly.

When Owen sees her he smiles. "Hey, Liv. Have a good two weeks at school?"

The question takes her aback, that he would care how she is doing in school, since Vic only ever pays attention when it's time for a report card. Owen seems to genuinely care though, and more than about just grades. She smiles and walks over to him. "School was good. We started reading  _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_  in my English class."

"Nothing like a couple of kids sneaking off to get into trouble. I take it you like it?"

"Yeah, I like it a lot actually. I can sort of relate."

He smirks, knowing she's talking about her own little adventures. "I'm sure you do."

"So are the eggs going to hatch soon?"

"Barry?" Owen asks, turning to his companion.

"According to our scans," Barry says, his voice accented, possibly French, and looking down at his tablet, "the eggs can hatch anywhere from a few hours to three days."

Liv's eyes light up with glee. "So they could hatch today?"

"They  _could_ ," Owen emphasizes. "But we won't know for certain until it happens. In the meantime, we monitor the eggs and watch them in shifts."

"If there is an increase in movement or any breaks in the shells," Barry holds up his tablet, "we will know, but the eggs must not hatch alone. Owen has to be here in order to imprint on them."

"For now, all we can do is watch and wait." Owen holds out his hand for the tablet and Barry hands it to him. "I'll watch the eggs for now."

Barry nods. "I will come relieve you in a few hours."

Barry leaves, the other trainer heading out with him, and Owen pulls over a desk chair to sit near the incubator. "I can't take you out into the Valley until the eggs are hatched," Owen tells her with an apologetic smile, "but you don't have to stay here. It's gonna be a boring couple of hours."

Liv shakes her head. "No, I want to stay. I want to be here when they hatch, if I can. Is that okay?"

"Sure thing, kid." He reaches over with his foot and pulls up another chair. "Sit, relax. It'll probably be a while yet, even if they do hatch today."

Time passes really slowly as they wait. Not long in, Liv goes to collect her backpack from her ATV so she can do homework. She reads the assigned chapters of  _Tom Sawyer_  and when she's done she's tempted to read a little further, but she forces herself to stop and move on to a different subject. She does the take-home quiz for her science class next and it's easy, science being one of her better subjects. Then she pulls out her math homework.

This she struggles on for a good hour, only getting through six of the thirty questions in that time. Liv does really well in school, her parents expect it of her and she studies hard to live up to that expectation, but math has always been her absolute weakest subject.

She's chewing on her pencil, staring at the same problem for ten minutes, when Owen asks, "Need some help?"

Her pencil fall out of her mouth in surprise, her hands flailing to barely catch it. They have been mostly silent until now, Owen quietly working on the tablet and watching the eggs. Now, he's leaning towards her slightly, looking down at the textbook in her lap.

"It's, um, math," she mumbles a little self-consciously. "I've, uh, been having kind of a hard time with it lately."

He lifts the cover of her book up to take a look. "Algebra I? I thought they didn't teach that until high school?"

She shrugs. "I'm in eighth grade, taking advanced classes."

He looks her over incredulously. "Seriously? You're in eighth grade?"

She sticks her tongue out at him childishly, not really proving she's older than he's probably thinking but not caring. "Yes, I'm in eighth grade." She's really short for her age, only a little over four and a half feet, and people always assume she's in elementary school. Hopefully, she gets a growth spurt soon because it can get kind of annoying sometimes.

He must see her irritation because he holds up his hands, though suppressing a chuckle. "Alright, alright, I believe you. So do you want help with your homework or not?"

Liv looks down at her notebook paper, not even halfway finished. She's never asked for help on homework before. Although, it's more like she's never had anyone to ask. She's always struggled with it on her own.

It would be nice if that could change.

"Yeah," she says, sliding her chair closer to his and angling her book so he can read the problems as well, "I think I'd like some help."

When teachers suddenly started saying that letters were a part of math as well, not just numbers, Liv got a little confused. The teacher she has now doesn't have a teaching style that makes it easy for her to understand. She knows others in the class are struggling so she doesn't feel so bad about it. But with Owen explaining things, everything starts to make a lot more sense. And it seems a lot more fun. She's never laughed so hard doing math in her life.

They're laughing so hard that they almost miss the little scratching noise. The insistent beeping coming from the tablet, though, is loud and clear. They sober instantly, Owen scooping up the tablet from where he placed in on the floor and flicking through it with his finger. He then looks up at the eggs with wide eyes. One of them, it's shaking a lot harder than the others and a long crack has formed.

Owen quickly stands, his chair falling back behind him, and lunges for the gloves. "Liv, you need to leave the room, now," he says urgently.

"What? Why?" He said she could be here when they hatched. Now he's telling her she has to leave, and it hurts.

"I'm sorry but I have to be the only one in here when they hatch. If I'm not what they see first, they could end up imprinting on someone else." He yanks on the gloves and approaches the eggs slowly. The crack grows a little more. "Go get the others, they should be in the paddock. Tell them what's happening and then I need all of you to wait in the other room."

She does as she's told, rushing off to the paddock as fast as she can and running up to the first trainer she sees, who turns out to be Barry. He quickly takes over, gathering the others, and they all settle down in the main room of the Research Center to wait.

As they do, Liv chastises herself, automatically assuming that Owen was pushing her away like that, going back on his word. He wouldn't do that.

Right?

She's mostly just known people who would do that though. In the long run, will Owen really be any different?

Time passes again, she's not sure how much, could be minutes or hours. Finally Owen comes out of the back room with a dopey grin on his face. "They've hatched," he says with breathless excitement, like a joyous father giving the news his babies were born. "Four female Velociraptors. All completely healthy."

"Is the imprinting working?" Barry asks.

"I think so. They didn't try to bite my fingers off when I was feeding them in any case. They're sleeping now. Come on and see."

Everyone piles into the room, Liv going no further than the doorway. They deserve to see this more than her. She'll wait. The trainers gather around the nest, checking over the raptors' vitals, and discussing the next steps in quiet voices so as not to wake the hatchlings.

She leaves them to their planning, waiting patiently. Well, not so patiently. She's jittery, can't stand still, and every few minutes she tries to get a look at the hatchlings through the crowd of trainers but never manages to see anything except the side of the nest. It isn't long until they leave, though, probably to get the paddock in ship shape for its new residents, and then there they are, the raptors.

They remind her so much of dogs that, for a moment, she just blinks at them. They're each curled up and piled together in the center of the nest, like newborn puppies in a cardboard box. Except less fur. They're also bigger than newborn puppies but still smaller than she thought they would be, like over-sized geckos. Their heads look too big for them to lift, eyes large beneath closed eyelids, and long tails curved around them. They have big, strong hind legs, already with the beginnings of claws that will one day be deadly sharp, and small arms, though longer than what a T-Rex baby would have.

Their coloring is amazing. One is green with splotches of blue around her eyes. Another is dark green with a row of stripes slashed across her from head to tail in an even darker green. The third is sandy colored, with splotches of green and light blue stripes. The last one is all blue-gray, with two dark blue stripes running from either side of her face down to the tip of her tail. Already, Liv can tell each of the raptors will possess a deadly beauty about them.

Right now, she never thought she would call Velociraptors cute but, holy crap, these raptors are cute.

"Have you named them yet?" Liv whispers, drawing closer to Owen and the nest, eyes never leaving the raptors.

"Not yet," Owen says just as quietly. "We thought we'd wait a while, see what their personalities are going to be like and how the pack formation goes."

Her brow furrows. "But I thought you were the alpha? Isn't that all there is to a pack?"

"Packs can have a lot of different parts, but with one this small, you're right, there won't be many. I'll still be the alpha but most likely one of them will take charge of the others, giving them a leader that's their own kind. That one will be the beta. She's the one I'll have to watch out for most. If I can't get her to trust me and she decides to take over as alpha, then this entire project will fall apart."

One of the raptors, the blue-gray one, suddenly blinks her large, slitted eyes open and lets out a squeaky little chittering noise. She's looking right at Liv and Liv can't help but stare into those big eyes, mesmerized. Those eyes, they look so intelligent. Like the raptor isn't just looking at her but actually  _seeing_  her and understanding what it is she sees. The raptor lets out that chittering noise again and then the other raptors wake up, all of them looking at Liv and she smiles, big and bright, because they're just so precious it makes her want to cry a little. She reaches out a hand as if to pet them but then stops, bringing her hand back to rest against her stomach, figuring that probably wouldn't be a good idea.

"Do you want to pet one?" Owen asks, guessing her intent.

She looks up at him hopefully. "Can I? It won't be too dangerous or anything?"

"This young, no, it shouldn't be a problem. They're small enough to where I can keep them from hurting you, but this will probably be the only time you get a chance." Owen reaches into the nest and gently lifts the blue-gray raptor into his hands, fingers wrapping around the small body and his thumb and forefinger of one hand keeping the raptor's head in place. The raptor surprisingly doesn't struggle, instead shifting her attention to look up at Owen, like a baby trusting her mother to hold her without dropping her.

"That imprinting really must have worked," Liv says as she pulls on a pair of gloves.

"Seems like it so far, but they won't tolerate stuff like this for long. Raptors mature really fast and don't need a parent taking care of them for very long until they're ready to survive on their own. I figure I've got maybe two months max before they need to shift their perspective of me from parent to alpha." He holds the raptor close to her. "It'll be best if you avoid the mouth. They just ate but she may still bite."

With that in mind, Liv strokes a fingertip along the back of the raptor's neck, letting out a giddy laugh. She's really petting a Velociraptor. She's gone to the park's petting zoo before, to pet the baby herbivores, but this is something different, something almost magical, to pet a newborn. The skin feels rough through the glove, kind of like crocodile hide except more bumpy, but it still feels so fragile that she's afraid to actually press down too hard, like if she does the bones beneath the skin will break. Still, she's careful and she's petting a Velociraptor.

"Best. Birthday. Ever."

"What did you say?" Owen asks in astonishment.

Liv winces. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." He sets the raptor back in the nest and then looks at her in, strangely, concern. "Is today your birthday?" She nods. "Why didn't you say anything?"

She just shrugs a shoulder. Honestly, she doesn't really know. Habit, maybe? Besides, why would Owen care when her birthday is? He barely knows her.

His brow furrows. "Vic didn't say anything either. Didn't even mention his daughter's birthday was coming up."

She snorts, muttering, "Yeah, didn't say anything to me either." Mentioning that it's her birthday to either of her parents usually gets her an exasperated, annoyed look. She has to rely on them to remember for themselves. This year, neither of them remembered at all. Which is a first, actually. Normally, at least one of them remembers, sometimes with a present, most of the time just with a passing "happy birthday". Neither of them ever actually feel happy about it. Or make her feel happy about it.

Owen curses under his breath and she flinches a little. She shouldn't have said that. She's not supposed to ever say anything that could suggest what her relationship with Vic is really like, how he really treats her behind closed doors. To everyone else, he's supposed to be the hardworking father, maybe a little strict, with a gifted, well-behaved daughter. But with Owen, she's slipping left and right.

How long will it be until she falls? And when she reaches the bottom, how much is it going to hurt? How much will Vic hurt her if someone found out?

Then Owen is stepping forward, wrapping his arms around her in a crushing hug. She stands there, stunned, with her face pressed against his chest.

"Never again," he says, voice fierce. "You hear me? Your birthday won't be forgotten ever again. From now on we'll celebrate, even if it's just you and me. Well, you, me, and the raptors, since they now have the same birthday as you."

Then again, maybe there will be someone there to catch her. She may slip and fall but he'll keep her from getting hurt.

Tears spill down Liv's face as her arms wrap around Owen's waist, fingers clenching at the back of his vest. She closes her eyes, burying her face in his shirt and he holds her tighter. She's never been hugged before. Not like this. This is all caring and comfort and safety and everything a father's hug should be. It makes her feel wanted. Like her birthday really is a good thing.

Why can't she always have this? Why did she have to get Vic? Why is it that this man who has known her for maybe two days, total, cares about her more than her own parents ever have? She doesn't even know why he cares so much about her but she isn't going to question it. Not if it means she gets to have this. A part of her is scared that he doesn't mean any of it, that this is all just an act or he'll one day leave her, but in this moment it feels real. And she will cling to it for as long as she can, just in case it doesn't last. Like with petting the raptors, this could be the only chance she gets at feeling what family is supposed to be like, because, as awful as it sounds, her mom and dad aren't really her family. Not as they should be. She's starting to realize that now.

But maybe family doesn't actually have anything to do with blood. Maybe it's more to do with who she  _chooses_  to spend her life with. Right now, she's choosing Owen, and a couple of Velociraptors.

And those Velociraptors share the same birthday as her. That practically makes them family already.

* * *

Owen is a fairly decent cook. He knows how to do the quick basics, something fast and simple. The Navy ensured he could live off of fast and simple. He also knows how to cook the dishes he really likes, lasagna, pot roast, steak, whatever gets his stomach rumbling. He's an excellent hunter and knows how to skin and cook game, anything from rabbits to deer. Even alligator. He makes a mean gator tail.

But baking. That's something he's never actually tried before.

Finding a recipe for a cake online is easy enough, gathering the ingredients even easier, but then he freezes before he even starts cooking. What kind of cake does Liv like? Chocolate? Vanilla? Marble? Ice-cream cake?

Does she even know herself?

He shakes that thought away. Surely she knows, surely her parents aren't that hopeless, but he can't ask her without giving away what he's doing so he goes with chocolate. Everyone likes chocolate cake.

Right?

He's so out of his depth with this but he keeps going, mixing the items together and sticking it in the oven. His first attempt is an utter disaster, it doesn't even rise like a proper fluffy cake is supposed to, so he's forced to scrap the entire thing and start over.

He freezes again, afraid he's not going to get it right before he runs out of supplies, but he can't think about that now. Liv deserves this. She deserves a proper birthday, even if it will be a day late.

The second attempt is much, much better and he lets out a sigh of relief. The cake isn't even runny when he sticks a knife in it and pulls it out again like it suggests to do in the instructions. He flounders a little bit at icing, but the recipe he found has instructions on how to make that from scratch too. Thankfully it turns out right the first time and he ices the cake.

He debates on trying to figure out how to write "Happy Birthday, Liv" on top, in icing. He goes with spelling it out with chocolate chips instead.

It's well past midnight when he finishes but he forces himself to wrap the present he picked out for her before crashing on his bed, not even bothering to get under the blankets.

The next day, the box he puts the cake in nearly falls off from where he straps it to the back of his bike, but it makes it to the Research Center in one piece. When he gets there he stuffs it in the fridge as fast as he can. There's no sign of Liv, not even her ATV, but she could show up at any time.

It's almost ten when she does, anxious to see the raptors again. He sends her back with Barry to keep an eye on her and to keep her busy while Owen finishes getting the cake ready. Setting it out on the counter, he takes out a pack of candles he stuck in his pocket at the last minute before leaving his bungalow. Painstakingly, he sticks fourteen of them in a ring along the outside and lights them one by one, fourteen candles for fourteen years.

He wishes he's known her for more of them.

With steady hands, he carries the cake into the back room, the door thankfully left open for him. His eyes stay on the cake nearly the entire slow walk, afraid he's going to drop it, but when he crosses the threshold his eyes shift up to land on Liv.

She's at the nest, back to him, but by the way she bounces on her toes he can tell there's probably a huge smile on her face. One of the raptors, the sandy colored one, is trying to stand on her feet, her other three sisters already walking around the little nest. Thankfully, they know better than to try to jump down from the incubator. There's a good chance they would hurt themselves from a fall like that, but they won't be in here for much longer, Owen and the others planning on moving them into the stables later today where Owen will spend a lot of close, one-on-one time with them to help the imprinting grow and prosper into a strong bond.

He's about halfway to her when he starts singing, poorly and off-key, "Happy birthday to you."

Liv's shoulders tense.

"Happy birthday to you."

She slowly turns, mouth slightly gaping and eyes wide, focusing first on him and then dropping to the cake.

"Happy birthday, dear Liv."

He draws out the "i" in her name in a sing-song voice and she doesn't look away from the cake as he finally stands before her. It hardly looks like she even breathes.

"Happy birthday to you."

The song ends and silence draws the minutes out, so long that Owen begins to worry. "Do you not like it?" he asks as she just continues to stare in shock. "You don't like chocolate, do you? I can make you something else, I-"

"No," she says, voice squeaking slightly. She looks up at him slowly. "No, I…I love chocolate."

He lets out a relieved laugh. "Good, good. That's…that's good." He cocks his head at her curiously when she still doesn't move. "Is something else wrong then?"

"I…." She looks back and forth between Owen and Barry, wringing her hands together. "I…."

Barry suddenly holds out his hands to Owen. "Give me the cake," he demands, one eyebrow raised in humor.

Owen does so a little dumbfounded, unsure as to what's going on, but then he has an armful of Liv, her skinny arms wrapped around his waist.

"Thank you," she sniffles into his chest, over and over again, and he immediately returns the hug, holding her close.

"I'm sorry it's a day late," he says against the top of her head.

She shakes her head, stepping back out of the embrace and wiping at her eyes. "It's not your fault. But seriously, thank you. This is the best thing anyone's ever done for me on my birthday."

He can hear the "If not ever" hanging in the air between them but doesn't comment on it. Instead he says, "I got you a present, too."

Her eyes widen even further, if possible. "You did?"

"Yep." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the gift. It's not much of a present, really, just newspaper folded into a small square with a bulge in the middle and a piece of twine holding it together in a bow. "Sorry it's nothing fancy."

She smiles like it's the best thing she's ever seen. "No apologies necessary." She takes the gift from him and quickly unwraps it. It's a necklace, a black leather chord with an animal tooth, long and curved, hanging from it with a piece of wire. She rubs the pad of her thumb along the sharp tip in fascination. "What animal is this from?"

"My dad was a carnie during most of the early years of his life," he explains. "Started out as a stable boy but they quickly found out he had a way with animals. By the time he was twenty he was training them for performances. That tooth is from the hardest animal he ever trained but also the one he was proudest of. It's a tiger's tooth. Some days, my dad and that tiger didn't get along at all. One time, the tiger even took a swipe at him that left a permanent scar." He gestures to the left side of his face with his finger, tracing from his forehead all the way down his neck. "It messed him up pretty bad. The tiger made every performance, though, without a hitch. You see, my dad said that an animal's respect can be a fickle thing, but if you truly earned its trust? That animal will be loyal to you forever." He takes the necklace from her, putting in over her head and around her neck. "My dad gave this to me when I was your age. Now it's yours."

Liv panics a little trying to take it off. "I can't take this from you-"

"You can and you will." He places his hands over hers, stilling her. "I want you to have it, Liv. Please."

He wants her to have this little piece of him so that no matter where she is, whether it's back in the States with her mom or alone here on the island, she'll remember he'll always be there for her if she needs him.

After a minute she slowly nods. "Okay. Thank you, Owen."

He smiles, ruffling her hair and making her laugh. "Anytime, kid. Anytime. And happy birthday."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, that part where Liv called the raptors cute? That's basically what I was thinking by the end of Jurassic World. In the other movies, the raptors were always some of the main antagonists, but in this movie? They're fragging cute!
> 
> By the way, Owen's backstory? Completely made up. I have no idea if his dad was a carnie. I blame Clint Barton for that one.
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Sunday and we get to see more of the raptors.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	5. Beta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Response to this story has exploded lately. I knew it would, what with the movie coming out this past week, but seriously, you guys are awesome.
> 
> There's a bit of a time lapse this chapter, which is fairly common in this fic. I have to get through two years, after all, before the movie can happen. Anyway, this chapter our raptors get names! I hope I matched up the right names with the right raptors. I wrote this entire fic before the movie came out so trying to match up names with their colors was kind of hard.
> 
> Alright, go onward and enjoy!

During the following weeks, Liv looks forward to returning to the island every time she is sent back to her mom again. Often during class or when she's home alone she finds herself daydreaming about being on the catwalk above the paddock, watching the raptors as they grow and explore their new home, by now having been let out of the stables and into the actual enclosure, or spending the day with Owen in the Research Center, telling jokes as he helps her with her homework. She misses them, and during those moments she pulls out her tiger necklace from where it rests safely beneath her shirt, reminding herself that all of it is real.

She has to keep the necklace hidden whenever she wears it, which is practically all the time. If her mom saw it, she would force Liv to get rid of it, saying it's disgusting and ugly. If Vic saw it, he would demand answers as to where she got it. And that can never happen. If he finds out about her growing bond with Owen, something that is becoming more like father and daughter every time they're together, Vic will punish her until she sincerely promises never to see Owen again. Then, whenever she visits, she will be forbidden from going anywhere other than her room, keeping her from seeing the raptors as well.

But it may not matter. Even now, she can feel her father's eyes on her.

Liv has integrated herself among the trainers, helping out with the more menial tasks that she can do safely away from the raptors so as not to get hurt. They're trying to get more workers at the paddock but they're still in the hiring process, so she's just trying to do what she can. Right now she is helping to clean the paddock, in the stables specifically, shovel in hand as she scrapes out manure into a wheelbarrow. Sweat trickles down her face and back, saturating her tank top and shorts, and manure sticks to her boots. It's hot, even in the shade of the stables, but the barn doors are open wide to let the blazing sunlight in and let some of the smell out. The smell inside the stables is  _foul_ , she never thought four little creatures who are only the size of a Chihuahua could produce such...filth. But they do. They really, really do.

All the while, she feels those eyes on her, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. Vic is standing on the catwalk, leaning his forearms against the railing, watching her through the doorway. She tries to push it to the back of her mind, but she can guess what he's thinking right now. Never has she been interested in the dinosaurs beyond what's natural to any other park visitor. She's visited their enclosures during park hours, she's been to the petting zoo and feeding areas, but she's never gotten herself directly involved with any of them.

So why now?

Why is she now interested in the raising and training of the Velociraptors? It's not like they've never had Velociraptors before, because they have. They have a separate exhibit for the ones park visitors are allowed to see. But why is she interested in the ones in the Research Center? Is it because they are trying to teach them to obey commands?

Or is it something else?

She's afraid to get close to Owen with those eyes watching her but after her birthday they've both opened up to each other.

He's told her about being the son of a couple of carnies, his mother being a trapeze artist. They weren't married at the time, but when they found out she was pregnant they both decided to be in the baby's life, together, so they picked a city along the circus's route and vanished with whatever savings they had. It wasn't much, they basically lived in poverty, but Owen's dad found work at a stable in Kentucky that paid fairly well, at least better than the circus. The day he got the job he proposed to Owen's mom, vowing to give both her and the baby the best life he could provide. Owen was born a few months later. He never had much growing up, but he's never needed a whole lot in order to be happy. When he was eighteen, Owen joined the Navy and through them went to school to train and get certified as a professional animal trainer. He made quite the name for himself, using the tricks his father taught him and a few of his own, until, one day, InGen gave him a call.

Liv has told him a bit about her life, too, though there's not much to tell. Vic and her mom met through work. InGen is a security company, and the company her mom works for hired InGen to handle their security for their main building in Miami. Vic oversaw everything getting set up and the security measures in place. Her mom and Vic met and dated for a while. Then Vic got her mom pregnant by accident. Neither of them were thrilled, but they didn't want to abort and tried to make things work, even got married two months before she was born. They drifted apart after a few years and got divorced, though, Liv's mom getting the majority custody since she has the more stable job that allows her to stay in the same city, unlike Vic who was traveling a lot for InGen at the time. Liv's life has always been mostly schoolwork, no friends, no extracurricular activities, per the ruling of her parents. But she's always wanted friends, people to actually talk to, and there are many things she's always wanted to try.

Owen says he'll help her do some of those things.

She couldn't tell him about Vic's "discipline" though. Or her being a mutant. She's afraid of how he'll react, if he'll look at her or treat her any differently.

Still, it's too late to go back now, it's too late to push Owen away now that they're drawing so close. And she doesn't want to. Thankfully, Vic never sticks around for long, but when he is there the weight of his stare is almost constant.

When Liv gets the last of the manure in the wheelbarrow she props herself up with her shovel and lets out a heavy sigh. Careful to avoid touching herself with the heavy work gloves covering her hands, she wipes at her face with the back of an arm. An ice-cold shower sounds excellent right now. She smells like crap, literally, her hair is slick with the strands that have escaped her ponytail sticking to her skin, and she's really hot with the possibility of a sunburn. But getting a shower means leaving and she doesn't want to do that yet, even though it's Saturday and she has plenty of time to come back.

Someone calls out her name and she turns to see Owen running up to her. "Hey, you just about done?" he asks.

"Yep," she says, moving to grab the handles of the wheelbarrow while still holding the shovel. "Just got to dump this at the compost."

"Here, let me get that." He takes the wheelbarrow and quickly walks out of the stables and towards the massive door of the paddock.

"Why in such a hurry?" she asks, jogging to keep up.

"We're letting the raptors back out soon and it's lunchtime."

The raptors are in the caged area connected to the paddock, getting a checkup. They had to be gassed with an anesthetic vapor, knocking them out, and then moved to the cage so the park vets can take a look at them, making sure they are healthy and growing properly, while limiting the amount of danger to others as much as possible. A clear mask is attached to each of the raptor's muzzles with elastic, giving them a continuous supply of anesthetic to make sure they stay out.

It's not like the vets will just wake them up and release them back into the enclosure when there are still people inside, though, so she doesn't understand Owen's rush. "Is something going on?"

Owen dumps the contents of the wheelbarrow into the compost and then puts her shovel in the storage shed. "We're giving them pigs today."

"Okay, but we always feed them pigs."

"Not dead ones," he says pointedly as he leads her up the catwalk.

Her brow arches. "We're giving them live pigs?"

"Yep. These animals are hunters. It's instinct. If we just keep feeding them dead animals and they never have the chance to develop those skills, they could grow aggressive. Towards us. That's one of the things they did wrong with the original park. We have to give the raptors a chance to hunt as much as we can or they'll never be happy here and they'll never listen to us."

Liv is about to ask something but closes her mouth when she sees Vic still on the catwalk, watching them. Owen stops a little ways away, leans against the railing, and nods to him, not really wanting to join him but trying not to be obvious about it. While, reluctantly, she goes to stand next to her father. She wishes she could stay by Owen but she can't let her fondness for Owen show, not to Vic. She shoots Owen a little smile by way of apology. She doesn't expect him to do anything, or even to understand, but after a moment Owen joins them, standing next to Liv.

Owen doesn't like her father, she knows that for certain, but he seems willing to put up with Vic's company for her.

"So, we're going to see them hunt for the first time," Vic says, sounding way too excited to see a pig get slaughtered.

"Yep," Owen says shortly.

"Can they really hunt and kill this pig all on their own so young?"

Owen sighs through his nose and looks out at the cage where the vets are just wrapping things up. "Velociraptors are some of the best hunters in the animal kingdom. They'll be fine."

The vets remove the anesthetic and then step out of the cage as quickly as possible. It only takes the raptors a few minutes to rouse, snapping and snarling as they wake from the forced sleep. It almost makes Liv laugh. Just like any kids, they need their checkups, and just like any kids, they complain about it.

A grin that makes Liv's stomach uneasy spreads across Vic's face. "How vicious are they going to be?"

Owen doesn't even look at him but Liv can see his jaw clench. "We're about to find out."

A slot opens up in the side of the paddock, like a doggy door, that leads to the pig pen. One trainer stands on the catwalk, catch pole in hand, and another is on the ground in the paddock, taking one of the pigs out of the pen. Together they get the pig on the catch pole and the trainer on the catwalk walks the pig over in front of the cage while the other trainer leaves the paddock and closes the large doors behind him.

The paddock is empty of everyone except for the pig. The pig is calm at the end of the pole, unknowing of the danger that stalks just yards away.

As soon as the raptors see the pig they perk up, their slitted eyes locking on to the pink form not much smaller than them. They've seen pigs before, though dead ones, so Liv was wondering if they would recognize one that is alive. By the way they zero in on it, heads shifting minutely every time the pig moves, they easily recognize the pig as food. The raptors start charging at the gate, ramming into the bars, wanting to get at their prey.

"Hey!" Owen yells, walking quickly to the aisle of catwalk right in front of the gate so the raptors can easily see him. "Hey! Eyes up!"

The raptors stop, perking their heads up at him.

Liv bites her lip to suppress a smile. It looks like they recognize his voice, just like Owen said they would when he imprinted on them, but she doesn't want to get her hopes up. They still probably have a long road ahead of them before they make any real progress.

"Alright!" Owen calls out, slowly moving back to stand next to Liv again. "Open it up!"

One of the trainers on the outside of the paddock pushes the button to open the gate and the trainer on the catwalk releases the pig. The pig finally seems to realize it's in danger and scurries off into the underbrush. As soon as there's enough clearance, the raptors chase after it with a screeching cry, like they're going off into battle.

It's over in under a minute.

Two raptors chase after the pig while two others race off to the left and right. Together, they corner the pig, surrounding it from all sides. One of the raptors, the sandy one, pounces on it and digs the claws on her feet into its stomach, killing it.

The blue raptor lets out an angry hiss at the sandy one and takes a snap at her. The sandy one backs off of the dead pig with a low growl vibrating in the back of her throat. The two raptors face off, moving in a slow circle around each other, while the other two look on with interest.

"What's happening?" Liv asks, afraid to talk above a whisper. The two raptors look about ready to tear into each other like they were the pig a moment ago.

Owen grips the railing with both hands, his shoulders tensing as he looks down at the raptors. "We've been waiting for this. They're both trying to assert themselves as the beta of the pack, but there can only be one. They're challenging each other."

The raptors continue to circle, bodies low to the ground, as they chitter at each other, talking in their own animal language. What are they saying? Are they trying to decide who's going to be the beta? Are they talking peacefully or is this the raptor version of an argument?

The sandy one suddenly screeches, like a hawk about to attack, and then launches herself at the blue one. They tumble to the ground, rolling around in the dirt, jaws snapping and claws swiping. Liv covers her mouth with her hand to smother a gasp, unable to tell if they're actually hurting each other, but then there is a slash of red that is unmistakable.

The sandy one lets out a pained squawk and falls to the ground, the blue one standing over her with an air of triumph. And blood dripping from her claws.

The sandy raptor has a deep gash at the end of her snout. Still, she tries to get up and fight.

Owen moves to intervene but Vic grabs his arm and says, "Wait."

Owen looks at him in shock. "What do you mean, 'wait'? If we wait she might kill her."

"Just let it play out," Vic insists but Owen shakes his head.

"You're insane. Do you want to have one less raptor?"

The blue one spins in a quick circle, slapping the other raptor across the face with her tail. The raptor falls back down again and this time her jaw looks...wrong. Crooked. Like it's dislocated.

Liv's vision goes blurry as she meets the raptor's eyes and she can see pain there, her aura is brimming with it. "Please, dad," she says, tugging at Vic's sleeve.

Vic shoots her a glare but for once she doesn't care if he gets mad at her, she just wants this to stop. He can't seriously want the raptor to die, right? She looks up at him pleadingly until he bites out, "Fine," and lets go of Owen's arm.

Owen runs down the catwalk until he is as close to the raptors as he can get. "Hey!" he shouts at them, waving his arms in the air. "Hey! Up here!"

The raptors pause and look around for the noise, all except for the sandy one who is lying very still on the ground, but her chest is moving and her eyes are open.

"Up here! Eyes on me."

The three look up, their gazes heavy, like a bird of prey watching a potential meal. Owen maintains steady eye contact with them, never wavering. The blue one snaps at him, jumping a little as if to try and grab him with her teeth, though there's no way she can jump that high. Liv's breath hitches in her throat. Is the raptor going to challenge him to be alpha?

"Hey!" Owen yells even louder, voice authoritative. "Don't you give me that. I am still your alpha." The raptor chitters at him. "That's right. I'm still your alpha. And you're going to back up." They don't move. "Back up!"

The blue raptor chitters again but then backs up a few steps, still staring up at Owen. The other two raptors share a brief look. The dark green one joins the other raptor first, and then the light green one. The beta is accepting the alpha and the other raptors are accepting the beta and the decision to obey the alpha. It's working. The pack dynamics they need in order for this project to succeed are falling in place.

"That's it," Owen says calmly. "Good." He then calls out over his shoulder to the other trainers gathered on the catwalk, eyes still never leaving the raptors, "Alright. I need three of you to hold 'em back so we can get to the other one. Barry, call the vets and have them turn around. She's going to need medical attention asap."

It's a flurry of activity after that. The raptors are caught with catch poles from above. They hiss and bite, not at all happy with being held back, not only from their sister, but from their hard-won food as well, but then Owen goes down into the paddock with the rest of the guys and tells them to be quiet. It works, sort of. They're not quiet, exactly, just  _less_  noisy about their displeasure. The vets arrive and give the injured raptor a thorough examination. Two of the trainers stay with them, hands on the raptor just in case she struggles, but she seems pretty out of it from the pain and then one of the vets give her something for that until she's probably too high to do anything other than just lay there and let the vets do their thing. Turns out, she has a couple of small cuts and some bruising from the tumble, a deep laceration on her snout that needs several stitches, and a dislocated jaw, just like Liv guessed. Putting her jaw back in place makes a sickening pop echo throughout the paddock that even Liv can hear from where she still stands up on the catwalk.

She winces, already knowing the pain that goes along with a pop like that.

That familiar noise reminds her that Vic is still standing right next to her and she gulps, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

He's glaring at her disapprovingly, the way he does when she does something he wishes he could punish her for his way, the hard way, but can't because there's too many people around. His cold, dark eyes echo with promises of later though.

She looks out on the raptors again and knows that, whatever happens, it was worth it. She doesn't know if their new beta would have killed the other raptor or not. Either way, she certainly doesn't hate the beta for it, that wouldn't be fair to any of them, especially since the sandy raptor kind of started it and the whole thing was instinct to them in the first place. Anyway, she's glad they're all alive and that she had pushed Vic to allow Owen to step in, no matter what the outcome would have been.

Admittedly, she's tired of him holding her back, something she won't dare say out loud, yet, but just to admit it to herself, it feels like something inside her is clicking into place.

Without asking for permission, without saying a word at all, she turns and goes down the catwalk, climbing down the stairs and going into the paddock without giving even a backwards glance to her father. It might be digging her grave just a little deeper tonight but it feels  _good_.

As soon as she steps through the gate the auras flare in her mind and she wishes and longs to reach out to the bright orange glow of the sandy raptor and help her heal. But she can't, not with all of these people watching, not with Vic watching, probably not even later. She wouldn't be able to explain how a raptor suddenly healed like that. Maybe she can do a little at a time, help the process along, and nobody will notice, at least not enough to consider the possibility of outside help.

She stops beside Owen, who is off to the side and looking on with worry. "Is she going to be okay?" Liv asks.

He jumps slightly, more than he'd probably ever admit because military training, but he totally didn't notice her approach. She smirks at him teasingly and he narrows his eyes at her but his lips are twitching in a semblance of a smile so she calls it a win. "Yeah," he says, "she's gonna be okay. It'll take a couple of weeks for her to heal but she'll be fine."

They both watch as the vets and trainers prep a stretcher so they can safely carry the wounded raptor into the Research Center where they'll watch over her as she gets better. "Will things be weird for her, once she comes back to the pack? They're not going to try to attack her again or anything, are they?"

"No, no, not unless she acts out again. So long as she accepts the new pack dynamics everything will be okay."

"What if she doesn't?"

"I don't know. Maybe we'll try to integrate her into the other raptor pack out in the park, but that could go just as bad, if not worse. They could see it as an invasion of territory. I don't want to just let them kill her, though. I want to save her, if I can."

Liv nods. She wants to save the raptor, too, but she knows that Owen will do whatever it takes so she isn't too worried. He's gotten the raptors to listen to him for the first time as their alpha. Whatever happens, she knows he'll make it work, so she asks him something she's been wondering about. "Since we know the pack dynamics now can we name them?"

"Uh…." He scratches the back of his neck, looking from her then back to the raptors. "Yeah, I guess we can. Have anything in mind?"

She shrugs a shoulder uncertainly. "Not really. I've never had any pets so I have no experience with the whole naming thing and I'm pretty sure we can't pick any generic pet names like Spot."

He snorts. "No, probably not. Although they did call a giant, three-headed dog Fluffy in that one Harry Potter movie so, you know, stranger things."

"True, but I don't think the raptors would appreciate that very much."

"No, probably not." Owen looks between the four raptors, contemplating. "What if we played off of the whole alpha thing?"

She tilts her head at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well, in the Navy I learned the NATO phonetic alphabet. You know, alfa, bravo, charlie, delta, echo, and so on."

Liv nods, seeing where he's going. "Okay, so obviously you're the alpha. That would make the blue one's name Bravo because she's the beta, and then the other three are Charlie, Delta, and Echo?"

"Yeah," he says, but with a slight frown, looking at the beta. "Though I don't think Bravo really fits as a girl's name."

"Yeah, you're right. And we can't just call her Beta either." Liv hums to herself thoughtfully, biting her bottom lip. What can they call her? It should start with a "B" so they still keep with the pattern, but what could they use? Betsy? Beth? Betty? Dozens of names pour through her head but none of them sound right. Then she looks over the beta's coloring, especially at the long, blue stripes running down the raptor's length, and thinks of how she already thinks of her as the blue one in her head. "Why not just call her Blue?"

"Blue? Like the color?"

"Yeah. It's one of the primary colors, and she's kind of like the primary raptor since she's the beta, and in my English class I learned it usually symbolizes "calm" and "serenity", which are aspects every good leader needs. And, you know, she's blue."

And blue is her favorite color but she's not going to say that. She's already stretching it more than a little.

Owen thinks it over for a minute, rubbing at his chin absentmindedly, but then shrugs. "Sure. Why not? I'm not coming up with anything better anyway and it kind of has a nice ring to it."

Liv beams. She's just named a raptor.  _Awesome_. "What about the others?"

He looks between the other three and then points at the injured raptor being strapped to the stretcher. "She challenged the beta but lost, so I think she should have the last name, Echo."

"Alright." She points to the dark green one. "She sided with Blue first, so I think she should have the second name, Charlie."

"Sounds good. That makes the other one Delta." He nods to the light green raptor.

Liv looks over their raptor pack, at Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo. Her heart flutters in her chest with happiness. "Looks like our raptors have names."

Owen flings an arm around her shoulders and pulls her into a side hug. She tenses at first but then relaxes, realizing she doesn't feel the eyes on the back of her neck anymore. "Yeah," he says happily. "Our raptors. Our raptor squad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've seen a lot of different explanations for how the raptors got their names, but this is what I always kind of figured. The military uses a phonetic alphabet for communications and things like that, and, since Owen was in the Navy, he would have learned it. I know there are several different alphabets but I think I got the right one? If not, then I blame Hollywood.
> 
> And I know it wasn't in the movie or anything, but my headcannon is that Owen's raptors aren't the only ones Jurassic World has. I mean, raptors were some of the first dinosaurs InGen created. They've been around since the first park, so why wouldn't they use them in this park as an actual attraction? It's not like they just wouldn't have any more raptors until they start this research project. I don't know, it makes sense in my head.
> 
> Alright, next chapter we get some fun Liv/raptors bonding time! Next update will be Tuesday.
> 
> Hope you enjoy, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	6. Pack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another update day!
> 
> I want to take a moment to thank all my Move Along fans who have decided to read this fic. You guys are amazing and thank you for understanding my hiatus. I hope you guys like this fic though.
> 
> This fic has some raptor/Liv bonding time! Oh, and it's been brought to my attention that I got Charlie and Delta mixed up. *sigh* I knew I probably did. In the previous chapter, I said Charlie is the dark green one and Delta is the light green one, when really it's reversed. I've decided to go back and correct it, though I don't think I really identify them by their colors anymore now that they have names. Oh well, whatever. I wanna fix it or else it'll bother me.
> 
> Now, go onward and enjoy!

_**Pack** _

It's a quiet morning on the island, at least, it is in the restricted area. Out in the park it's extremely busy, thousands of people all crammed together like a swarm of ants. If Liv were to look out on Main Street she wouldn't be able to see the ground at all. Park numbers always take a skyrocketing jump this time of year as summer approaches, schools start to let out for their three-month(ish) break, and families go on vacation. Jurassic World has always been a highly sought-after vacation destination despite ticket prices, ever since the park's revival at the hands of Masrani.

Liv tries to stay away from the park as much as possible when it's like this. Too many crowds. She hates being caught in the middle of all of that. It's too suffocating, all those bodies packed in together, pressing against her, breathing the same air. Just a few minutes in that throng feel like an eternity, like she'll never escape it.

On days like this, Liv likes to go out to her paradise, but she's sticking to the rules and waiting on Owen to take her there. He's in the Research Center, working on some progress reports to be sent off to InGen that he's been putting off for too long, but he said he shouldn't be too much longer so she's waiting at the paddock.

She's up on the catwalk, in a corner she's claimed as her own. There's a chair and even a footstool which she uses whenever Owen is training with the raptors. It allows her to watch without being in the way. Sometimes she drags homework up here too, though never manages to get very much of it done. Watching Owen teach the raptors to obey commands is fascinating, not to mention just watching the raptors themselves. There is a kind of beauty in the power they possess, and Owen slowly gaining their trust to where they listen to him, watching the progress they're making is mesmerizing.

Right now, there's not much to see. Her eyes skim over the mini jungle below trying to get a glimpse of a long snout, a swishing tail, or a gleaming talon. There will be no spotting them if they don't want to be found though. Velociraptors may not have camouflage but they might as well have considering their ability to melt into the jungle, seamlessly, soundlessly. If she was down there in the enclosure a raptor could be right next to her and she would never know it until it's too late. She will never see them unless they want her to.

A loud call echoes out in the paddock, a cross between a goose honking and a dog barking, followed by three others, and then the raptor squad breaks through the tree line to stand in the clearing, looking up at her.

She smiles. Looks like they want to be seen by her.

She stands from her chair to fold her arms on the railing and lean down to rest her chin atop them, staring at the raptors as they stare at her.

Blue is calm and collected with almost a regal air, taking to her role as beta well. Charlie is all barely-contained energy, wiggling on her feet and turning in circles as she looks up. Echo nips at her without actually biting, just a snap of teeth inches from Charlie's tail to show Echo's annoyance at her antics. Delta headbutts Echo roughly in the side and chitters shortly at her, like she's trying to tell Echo to cut it out. Echo bites at Delta too, crouching low to the ground like she's about to attack, but then Blue lets out a sharp caw and all three of the raptors stop. Blue snorts at them, shaking her head a little, and then resumes staring at Liv, the others looking back up as well.

Liv chuckles softly to herself. She's glad to see them like this, especially after what happened to Echo going up against Blue. Echo is fully healed by now. She healed faster than anticipated, with a little help from Liv, and she slipped right back into the pack, accepting that Blue is now the beta graciously enough. She has a permanent scar on her snout now and her jaw is slightly crooked, a constant reminder that Echo lost the right to be beta. There's no lingering anxiety in the pack over it though. They accepted the changes and moved on, going back to play-fighting like a couple of kittens or squabbling siblings. They almost seem like any other animal when they act like that. In a way, they are. It doesn't matter if they're millions of years old or not, an animal is an animal. They still have all the same basic needs, food, water, shelter. They want to hunt and they want to play.

Except dinosaurs, especially Velociraptors, seem to be so much...more...than that. Raptors are intelligent, more so than kittens or dogs or chimpanzees. They're more than just food, water, and shelter.

And for some reason, they're very interested in her.

This isn't the first time they've ever just stared at her, locked inside the paddock where they can't get to her. But they want to. She can tell by the way Blue chitters at her and the others chitter in emphasis of whatever Blue said. Liv can't tell what it is they really want though. She could probably ask Owen, but something tells her he won't have an answer either and then he'll probably tell her to keep her distance from them. They're extremely dangerous, she understands that, but she feels no fear from them. All humans have a "lizard brain" of sorts, that animal part of them that is still highly susceptible to basic instincts. It's what drives a mother to protect her children. It gives humans a natural fear of the dark, because anything could be lurking in there. It makes the hairs on the backs of necks stand on end when there is danger nearby.

Liv's hair isn't standing on end. Instead, she's just as curious of them as they appear to be of her.

Blue barks twice, looking up at her expectantly.

It's not that busy around the paddock right now. Most of the trainers are either in the Research Center doing reports like Owen, mucking out the stables that are carefully closed off against the raptors, or out getting this month's order of meat from the Food Storage Center near the main park. There's no one around the enclosure right now because they know no one is supposed to be working in the paddock until later.

"Alright, Blue," Liv says to the raptors, not very loud but hopefully enough for them to hear, "I'm coming."

Charlie yips happily as Liv steps away from the railing and goes down the catwalk stairs. She circles around to the cage and stops right outside the outer door. The raptors are there, right on the far side of the inner gate, the empty cage between them. They shuffle on their feet, snorting impatiently.

"Sorry, ladies," she says, wrapping her hands around the bars. "This is as far as I can go."

She doesn't know the key code in order to get into the cage, and even if she did Vic's punishment would be severe if she were caught. Delta and Charlie chitter at her softly, sounding almost questioning, and she just shakes her head. No, she can't go any further. And they actually seem to understand, all four of them lowering their heads a little forlornly.

A regretful smile pulls at her lips. She wishes she could be near them, too, even with the possible danger. Well, not really  _possible_. It's  _certain_  that she would be in great danger if in close proximity to the raptors without significant height or steel bars between them and her.

A part of her doesn't care though. It's just drawn to them.

She looks back at the Research Center, wondering if Owen would let her into the cage and closer to the raptors if she asks, when something catches her eye. There's a bucket sitting on the ground by the cage door, the bucket full of dead rats Owen uses as treats for the raptors during training sessions. Liv picks up the heavy bucket, the foul smell of dead roadkill wafting up her nostrils and she wrinkles her nose in disgust. Delta barks at her and she looks up, seeing four pairs of eyes darting from her to the bucket and back again.

She shakes her head in amusement. "You girls are always hungry, I swear." She holds the bucket out from her by the handle, jiggling it a little, and they hone in on it. "So how about it? You want a little snack?"

They chitter their approval, Charlie practically hopping on her toes in excitement, as Liv climbs back up to the catwalk. Setting the bucket down at her feet, she picks out a rat with her bare hands, unfortunately not having any gloves but not wanting to deny them their treats just because it's kind of gross.

It's not like the rats are slimy or anything. They're clean.

Sort of.

She holds the rat up, the raptors standing at attention below her.

"Alright, ladies, one at a time," she calls down to them, trying to imitate how she's seen Owen do this, always confident and full of natural authority that brooks no argument. "Blue! You first!"

Blue lifts her head higher than the others and with careful aim Liv throws the rat to her. Gracefully, Blue's jaws snap it out of the air.

"Good girl. Charlie! You're next!"

When Liv throws the rat at Charlie the raptor moves almost faster than she can see, swallowing the snack down like she's practically inhaling it.

Liv laughs. "Jeez, Charlie, did you even taste it?" Charlie snorts at her and she laughs again. "Okay, Delta, you're up!"

When she tosses the rat to Delta, Echo reaches out to intercept but Delta bumps her away with her hip, making her miss and allowing Delta to grab her treat.

"Echo!" Liv admonishes, making sure her voice is loud, stern, and full of disapproval. The raptor looks up at her, growling slightly. "No, Echo, I won't be having any of that. You wait your turn. Actually, I'm not sure I should give you one now." She holds the rat away from the ledge, showing she's not going to throw it, and glares at Echo. The raptor still looks ready to argue, that growl still grinding around the back of her throat, until Blue lets out a raspy hiss. Echo then lowers her head and tail, like a dog who knows she's done something wrong. "Are you going to behave now?" She holds the rat out and Echo chirps softly, the sound barely reaching her. Liv smiles and then tosses her the rat, Echo eating it up happily. "You're lucky I'm so nice."

More like she doesn't know how to say "No" to these raptors.

Blue barks at her again and the four raptors crowd around closer together, bumping into each other, looking up.

Wanting more.

She hums thoughtfully to herself, not wanting to spoil them but, again, having a hard time actually saying "No" to them. But they're allowed treats when they do training, right? So she just needs to do something with them that would be considered training. All she has to use are the rats and voice commands that they may not actually listen to. They still barely listen to Owen, but they seem to be having a good day today and the promise of extra food is a strong motivator. That still leaves her with the question, what can she possibly do with only a bucket full of rats?

Liv picks up the next rat, the raptors chittering excitedly below her, and looks out into the jungle with an inkling of an idea growing in the back of her mind. She can't just toss the rats to them, they really aren't learning much, except to respond to each of their names, but she needs something more than that. She looks at the rat in her hand and then out into the trees.

"Okay, ladies," she says, holding out the rat over the railing for them to clearly see. "You want the rat?" She pulls her arm back and then tosses the rat out into the jungle, plopping between the leaves like a stone thrown into water. "Go get it!"

Four raptors take off, their excitement suddenly reined in as they slip into the undergrowth without a sound. There's the slight rustle of leaves from where they disappeared and then nothing. Liv waits with baited breath. The enclosure isn't large but it isn't exactly small either. Will they be able to find their treat? How long will it take them?

A victorious screech resounds throughout the jungle, followed by yips and snarls. Looks like it didn't take them long. Less than ten minutes really. The pack races out of the trees to stand in the clearing again, Blue looking awfully pleased with herself, head held high with the others growling a little resentfully at her.

"Oh, so you're the one who found it, huh, Blue?" The beta chitters happily causing Echo to snap at her and then bark up at Liv, Charlie and Delta echoing the call. "So you all want another chance, huh? Okay, let's try this again."

Liv does it a couple more times, the final score being Blue four, Delta two, and Charlie and Echo with one each. They seem to really be enjoying it. They love the hunt, the search, the competition with each other. But when Liv reaches inside the bucket for the next rat she finds she only has four left. She frowns, wanting to continue their game, even though now it has to come to an end, and wanting to make sure they each get one more rat. Thinking on her feet, she holds out her hand in a tight fist like she's seen Owen do. "Okay, ladies, this way!"

She moves down the catwalk, the raptors miraculously following her, though it's probably more from wanting another rat than actually listening to her. She takes them right next to the cage gate and stops, making sure they're as far from the jungle as possible. She then holds up a rat with one hand. "Okay, Echo, this one is for you! Just for you, Echo!" Moving slowly, Liv walks back down the catwalk, eyes solely on Echo, trying to draw just her away from the others, but all four of them step forward as well. Liv holds out her other hand, palm out, motioning them to stop. "Blue! Charlie! Delta! No! You three stop right there!" She knows they understand simple commands such as this and they do listen, stopping like she tells them to though cocking their heads confusedly at her. "Blue, Delta, Charlie, you stay there. Echo! Come!" She moves a little further away, this time only Echo and Charlie moving. "Charlie! No! Stay!" Charlie stops, still looking confused, but when Liv moves again the other three stay put with Echo following her.

"Good girls," she praises. "Very good girls." When she's far enough away she yells out, "Go, Echo!" and tosses the rat out into the jungle. Echo shoots off, the other three raptors quickly moving to follow, but Liv holds both of her palms out to them again. "No! Stay!"

And they do.

Echo soon returns, quite satisfied with herself, and Liv does it three more times, so each of the other raptors get to chase after their rat alone without the chances of any of the others nabbing it first. And each time, the raptors listen to her, the three staying put as their fourth zips off into the jungle.

It's exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, having these ferocious animals listen to her commands, at least in this moment.

When the last rat is gone and Blue has returned, Liv tips the bucket over for them to see that it's empty. "Sorry, ladies, but you ate them all. All gone."

It only takes them a second to realize what the empty bucket means and Liv swears she can see the disappointment on their faces even though Velociraptors don't really have expressions. Their disappointment is short-lived, though, because then there is the chattering of monkeys in the trees that gets their attention. Charlie takes off after the noise first, eager for more food, and her sisters soon follow, Blue at the end of the train like her siblings are dragging her along but she's obligated to go just to make sure they don't get into any trouble.

Blue turns back at the last moment before entering the jungle, looking back at Liv. They stare at each other for long, drawn out seconds, something being communicated that Liv doesn't understand, and then the beta is gone.

Slow applause starts up behind her and she freezes, her mind instantly chanting  _don't let it be Vic, don't let it be Vic, don't let it be Vic…._

She turns. It's Owen, on the catwalk two rows back from her, a big grin on his face. Tension leaks from her shoulders. If Vic saw the raptors listening to her…she doesn't really know what he'd do but it wouldn't be good, for her or them.

"I'm impressed," Owen says, coming over to join her. "You handled them really well."

Liv just shrugs, leaning against the railing on her forearms with her eyes on the jungle. "It wasn't anything, really. Not like what you do. They just wanted food and were willing to listen to me in order to get it. If anything, they were listening to their stomachs." Her eyes shift to his face quickly, suddenly worried. "You're not mad that I fed them a whole bucket of rats, are you?"

He chuckles. "No, I'm not mad, especially since you made them work for their snack. But you're selling yourself short, kid. They really were listening to you, not just their stomachs."

"If you says so," she mumbles, unconvinced.

"It's true." He leans against the railing next to her, looking out at the enclosure. A monkey shoots out from between some bushes, running for the cage gate, but Charlie catches up to it, snapping it up with her jaws before it gets even halfway across the clearing. Delta comes out of the jungle after, sniffing at the ground where the monkey met its fate in disappointment. Owen nods to them. "You see that? If they just wanted a snack there are all sorts of small animals that have ended up inside the enclosure, even with the danger of four predators. There are monkeys, birds, squirrels, and more, plenty of snacks for them if they want it. They didn't need you in order to fill their stomachs. They didn't have to listen to you, but they did." Blue and Echo come out to join their sisters and the raptor squad looks up, at Liv and at their alpha. "I've seen the way they watch you; the way they keep track of where you are when you're around. They've accepted you somehow, though I'm not sure where you fall in the pack exactly."

Liv turns to him incredulously. "You're saying they've accepted me as part of the pack?" Her hands flex on the railing nervously. "I thought they were just, I don't know, interested in me or something. Wondering who I am since I'm not a trainer like you or the others."

"I thought that too. Until today. If they were only interested, they never would have listened to you like that. They don't even really listen to any of the other trainers very much. The others help me take care of the pack but I'm the alpha. I'm the only one they'll take commands from because I'm head of the pack. I don't even think the raptors consider the others as part of the pack. But they listen to you." He shakes his head, eyes sparkling in bafflement. "The only explanation I can think of is that, to them, you're pack."

Liv opens her mouth, trying to think of a rebuttal, but nothing comes out. Her mouth snaps shut. There really is no reason for them to listen to her, especially if they weren't just doing it to get food, like Owen said. Velociraptors aren't docile or domesticated, not even these raptors. They do what they want, only listen to who they want, and everyone else is seen as lower than them, unimportant, or food. They listen to Owen because he is the alpha, above them.

So what does that make her?

"Where do you think I fall in the pack?" she asks, still trying to wrap her head around the idea that these animals have adopted her in a way. They want her.

It's a powerful feeling. Being wanted.

"I don't know, kid. You're definitely not an omega. That's bottom of the food chain in a pack. If you were an omega, they would sooner eat you than listen to you. You could be in the middle of the pack, of even ranking to them, but if that was the case I wouldn't think Blue would listen. The others, maybe, but not Blue. She's the beta and is ranked higher than the others. You could be another beta maybe? But I don't think Blue would tolerate there being another beta. You're not the alpha, obviously, so...," he shrugs, "yeah, I don't know. You're a mystery, Liv, but one they want to keep."

* * *

While Owen goes to retrieve his bike so he can take her to her paradise, Liv stands at the cage door again, the raptors watching her from the clearing. Slowly, she opens herself up to the world, allowing its life in all its beautiful array of colors to wash over her vision, the shift as easy as putting on a pair of glasses. There's so much green on the island, the soft hue almost swallowing everything else up, but she can pick out the pinpoints of brighter color. There's the dinosaurs out in the park. The visitors in all their masses, looking like a sea of red this far away instead of individual people. There's small animals out in the jungle. The workers and trainers of the park.

And then there's the pack.

The raptors' auras are such a vibrant orangish-red that it takes her breath away. It's so much brighter than any of the other dinosaurs', even the T-Rex.

And then there are the bonds.

There's their pack bond with each other, linking the raptors as sisters, family, even though they may not be technically related by blood since they were cooked up in a lab. The pack bond surpasses everything, even blood, because pack is stronger than blood ever will be. It even surpasses species. Charlie, Delta, and Echo have a strong connection to Blue since she is the beta, a stronger connection than what they have with each other, but each of the four raptors' connection to Owen is astounding. It pulses with energy and power and  _alpha, alpha, alpha_ , so far beyond anything Liv has ever seen before. And as the raptors grow and mature and learn with Owen, it will only get stronger.

But there is another bond, one she's never noticed before.

Liv looks down at her chest, tears stinging the back of her eyes. There's a cord of orangish-red light uncoiling out of her, branching off into four strands to connect her to each of the raptors. By the way the light pulses and shimmers she can tell it's part of the pack bond.

They really do consider her pack. Family. She still can't tell where she falls in the pack exactly but right now she doesn't care. She has a family, one that outshines the feeble bonds she has with her parents, those ones as thin as floss.

And she is too happy to be regretful about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Liv is part of the pack bond. I know some of you were hoping for that. It's part of the reason why they listen to her so well, but there's more to it than that. You'll just have to wait and see though.
> 
> Next chapter is one of my favorites. Some of you have been wanting hurt!Liv and protective!Owen. While Liv won't exactly be getting hurt, it's a close alternative.
> 
> Next chapter is on Friday!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	7. Sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love it when it's an update day. Makes my day so much better. So, this chapter is one of my favorites. As you can guess from the chapter title, it's sick!Liv, not hurt!Liv like some of you were hoping for, but we still got some protective!Owen in it. And yes, I know that with most mutant healing factors the mutant can't get sick...but I don't care, I like sick!Liv.
> 
> Alright, go onward and enjoy!

 

School ends.

Summer begins and Liv tries to convince her mom to allow her to spend more time on the island with Vic, really meaning Owen and the raptors, but her mom refuses. Her mom may not really care about her but she's not about to give Vic even an inch when it comes to her custody.

But summer vacation fades quickly anyway.

The more serious raptor training begins and it's slow going. Owen may be their alpha but the raptor squad is as rebellious as a couple of teenagers a lot of the time. There is still progress though. They respond to the sound of his voice and whistles, though not always doing what he wants them to, and he introduces them to a clicker. It's a rectangular piece of plastic smaller than the palm of his hand with a metal tongue that makes a clicking noise when pressed. Clicker training is used a lot with dogs, among other animals, in order to help the animals know they've done what the trainer wants them to. Owen gives a command and when the raptors do it right he makes the clicks and then gives them treats. They associate treats with good behavior, the clicker with treats, and then, after a lot of practice, the clicker with good behavior so that hearing the noise is as good as getting a treat to them, letting them know they did good. This way, they start to rely on treats less heavily and also start to build on the simple commands Owen's taught them so far.

As the summer begins to wind down, the raptors getting to be the size of small ponies, they still have a hard time listening. Sure, they have their good days, like that day Liv got them to listen to her with the rats, but they are very few and far between. It really is the rebellious teenage stage.

Liv watches over it all with a smile, though, and when she lets the auras overlap her vision, she can see the bond being forged between the raptors and with Owen, getting stronger and thicker, the orangish-red color more defined, as time passes. Her own bond with them is getting stronger, too. She hasn't tried training with them again, still unsure of where she stands with them exactly, but they still watch her whenever she's around.

Before she knows it, school is fast approaching again. She has her yearly check-up with a medical doctor kept on staff on the island, someone Vic trusts not to rat her out as being X-gene positive. It's nothing much, just a normal physical exam to make sure she's healthy. They draw blood. They give her a shot, for tetanus or something like that, she forgets as soon as she's told. She hates needles, wishes she could hiss and bite like the raptors when they get a check-up, but instead endures it quietly. Vic hovers during the entire examination and he would do a lot worse than just hiss and bite at her if she complains. After a couple of pokes and prods the doctor declares her healthy and she books it out of medical as fast as she can.

So, of course, two weeks later when Liv is just about to return to the island, she gets sick.

School doesn't start for another couple weeks and she's basically stuck at home whenever she's at her mom's, leaving her wondering when she could have picked something up, but she's definitely getting sick. It starts to really take hold the night before she boards the plane. There's a bone-deep ache all throughout her body, her nose is stuffed up with congestion, and her throat is a little sore. Nothing too serious, really, so she decides to call it an early night after packing, hoping to feel better after a good few hours sleep.

Except by morning she feels worse. So much worse.

She can't breathe through her nose at all, it feels like her throat is on fire, her stomach hurts, and the aching has started up in her head now too. She might also have a fever but it's hard to tell without a thermometer. She doesn't know where it is, doesn't even want to move from her bed.

Her mom already left for work sometime before Liv even woke up. She tries calling both her parents, trying to get permission to stay where she is, but no one answers. If she decides on her own to skip her weekend with Vic it will mean serious repercussions from both her parents, but she dreads the thought of traveling for hours like this. She calls Vic again but still no answer. Holding back tears of frustration, she pulls on the comfiest clothes she can find, sweat pants, a baggy t-shirt, over-sized hoodie, and sneakers, and grabs her backpack full of supplies for the weekend. The doorman to the building calls her a cab, so she doesn't have to bother with it herself, and she heads to the airport, though stopping at a drugstore for some cold medicine first.

The plane ride is awful. She's never thrown up on a plane before, not even her first time flying, but it's a near thing. The helicopter ride from the mainland to the island isn't much better.

Thankfully, she finds Vic in the Control Room. She shuffles over to him, backpack feeling heavier on her shoulders than normal, and tugs at the back of his shirt to get his attention instead of waiting for him to notice her like she usually does. He ignores her at first but she's insistent, tug, tug, tug.

Suddenly, he whirls around, hands on his hips and brimming with annoyance. " _What_?"

"I don't feel good," she mumbles, throat getting really irritated whenever she talks.

"Speak up, Olivia," he snaps.

"I'm sick," she says, louder this time, and her throat hates her for it. She swallows but it feels like there are rocks in her throat.

Vic's eyes examine her up and down, taking in her flushed face and miserable expression, but there's no concern in it. He's distant, analytical, not the father she needs right now. His phone vibrates in his pocket and he takes it out, glancing at the screen then back at her before putting it away. He bends down, placing his hands on her shoulders, and she thinks that, for once, he's going to actually help her.

"Look, Olivia," he says, voice filled with false-apology, and her heart plummets, "I know you don't feel good but there's nothing much I can do. Just go to your room and get some rest. Rest is the only thing that will help." His phone vibrates again and he straightens. "I've got to get back to work. You'll be fine on your own."

And then he leaves, phone pressed to his ear before he even hits the elevator.

The phone that he answers for everyone other than her, apparently.

Looking up at the ceiling, Liv tries desperately to hold in her tears. She doesn't feel good, actually feels worse after all of that traveling when really she should have been resting back at her mom's place and not going anywhere at all.

And, most importantly, she doesn't want to be alone.

Misery really does love company. It's practically written into human DNA. When a human is miserable, especially when sick, they seek someone else out to be with them until it's over, just to have a reminder that everything is going to be okay and that, eventually, it will be over. She wants someone to stay with her, even if it's Vic. He's her dad. He may not be the fluffiest person in the world, but he's still her dad and he should be the one taking care of her.

The elevator arrives again, depositing some of the techies who work at the computer stations, and she shoulders past them to ride the elevator down, fingering the necklace beneath her shirt.

Her real dad may not want to take care of her but there's someone else who might.

The ride on her ATV to the Research Center is a little precarious. It's getting hard for her to stay focused and halfway there she has to pull over to vomit. It doesn't make her stomach feel any better. She makes it, though, and when she gets there the door to the cage is opened. She heads over, thinking Owen might be in there, but the cage is empty, like someone was just there and stepped away for a moment. She slips inside anyway.

The inner gate is closed and through the bars she can see the paddock door closed as well, so she knows the raptors are somewhere inside among the trees and underbrush without any humans in there with them. She suddenly wishes her throat was better so she could call out to them, try to make them come to her, but after hacking up the contents of her stomach earlier it feels like she won't be able to speak above a whisper if she tries.

It doesn't matter though. Either they heard her or smelled her or something, Liv doesn't know, but some bushes at the edge of the clearing start to rustle and then there they are, all four of them, staring at her. She smiles and waves a little, not really expecting them to do anything, but they actually come over to her. Her breath hitches. She's never gotten very close to them since the day they were born, not like the trainers do. No one's let her, for her safety, which she understands, but she can feel a kind of pull towards them from the bond. She wants to get close to them.

And now they're coming close to her, stopping a few feet away from the cage.

It's a bad idea, she knows this, but she wraps her hands around the bars anyway, pressing herself as close as possible. The raptors cock their heads at her curiously, making those small little chitters like they're talking quietly amongst themselves. They step closer still, Blue ahead of the others and her nostrils flaring, taking in Liv's sent. Liv stares into those big eyes of hers, knowing she should be afraid, waiting for the feeling to come, but it never does. She's not afraid of these animals that can tear her apart, that can chomp her hand off right now if they wanted to. They're fast enough to do it before she even has a chance to move.

Instead, she just has this undeniable urge to hold her hand out and pet Blue's snout.

Before she even has a chance to actually contemplate doing it a quiet, cautious voice says behind her, "Liv, I need you to back up very slowly."

She grimaces, only the raptors being able to see her face. She doesn't want to listen to Owen but figures she better, both for his peace of mind and just in case her instincts are messed up and Blue really is about to bite off her hand despite whatever bond they share. Liv doesn't think she is though, so she whispers "See you later" and backs up slowly to join Owen outside the cage.

He slams the door shut once she's out, pressing and holding the button that locks it with a solid clang. He then turns on her with a disapproving storm brewing in his eyes. "What the hel…heck…." She would laugh at his blundering attempt not to swear in front of her but she's too tired. He shakes his head in frustration. "What were you thinking? These raptors aren't like the herbivores in the petting zoo, Liv. They can seriously hurt you."

"They weren't going to hurt me," she protests feebly, coming out sounding kind of choked. "And I was looking for you."

He opens his mouth to retort but it catches in this throat as he seems to really take her in. He instantly flips from anger to concern. "Are you alright, Liv?"

She shakes her head, feeling the tears returning and her lower lip wobbling, and she hopes he understands just by her pleading look because she doesn't want to talk anymore, it hurts too much. He steps close, tilts her chin up with a finger, and touches her forehead with the back of his hand. She closes her eyes, sighing slightly in bliss. His hand feels good, cool.

"Jeez, Liv, you're burning up," Owen exclaims softly, going swiftly past concern to all out worry. "Does your dad know you're sick?"

She nods.

He blinks incredulously. "And he didn't do anything?"

She shakes her head and keeps hoping, praying, Owen won't do the same, that he won't be like Vic and just leave her to fend for herself, don't be like Vic, please don't be like Vic, please….

He wraps an arm around her shoulders and draws her towards the Research Center. "Everything's gonna be okay, Liv. It'll be okay."

She melts into his side, wishing she could tell him thank you, but can't, her throat too far gone. The raptors let out a series of barks and she looks back at them. They almost look worried as well, but she figures she's just projecting.

Inside, Owen sits her down on the chair at his desk and heads towards the kitchen, grabbing a towel and wetting it in the sink. When he returns to her side he holds out the wet cloth to her and directs her to lean back and place it on her forehead. It feels good, but not enough to combat the burning heat she feels growing inside her as the sickness rages on. Owen leans over her, stroking her hair back away from her face, and she closes her eyes. Some of the tension she's been carrying since Vic turned her away seeps out of her, like squeezing a sponge. She's not alone now. She doesn't have to go through this alone. Owen will take care of her.

The front door opens, the hinges squeaking loudly, and heavy footsteps approach. "Owen," a deep voice says, one she recognizes as Barry's, "what's going on?"

"Liv is sick," Owen says, crisp as crackling autumn leaves. He's angry, but she's not sure at who. Everything's getting kind of fuzzy.

"Does her father know?"

"Yeah, but apparently he just brushed her off." There's a pause, movement, and then the tones of a cell phone dialing. "I'm calling him."

"And what will you say? There is nothing that will actually make him take care of her."

"I don't care. I have to try. This isn't right." The call connects and Owen jumps right in without greeting. "Vic, you know Liv is sick, right?"

She can't make out the response. She's kind of glad she can't, already afraid of what Vic will do to her for going to Owen for help instead of doing what she was told and going back to her room.

"She's your daughter!" Owen yells, angrier than she's ever heard him. "You can't just dump her on her own when she's sick." A lengthy pause. "Fine, I'll take care of her myself."

Liv's eyes crack open at that, watching Owen hang up on Vic before he can respond. His brow is creased with lines of anger and frustration, but for once a face like that isn't directed at her. When he sees her watching him his face clears away and he smiles, though his eyes hold a weary exhaustion from dealing with Vic.

"Owen, what are you doing?" Barry asks. "You can't just take care of her yourself."

The frustration comes back in the tense line of Owen's shoulders as he faces off against Barry. "Yeah? And why not?"

"Because she is Vic's daughter, not yours. He will not take kind to this."

"Well, that's too bad." Owen reaches down and Liv lets out a startled squeak when he picks her up, one arm around her shoulders and another beneath her knees. Her face feels even hotter than before, though she can't tell if it's from the fever or a blush of embarrassment, and she lost the cloth on the way up. He lifted her like she weighs nothing. "I'm not just going to leave her."

"And if he decides he is not happy with this?" Barry gestures to Liv and Owen with his hands. "With you just taking over as the girl's father? What do you think he'll do?"

Liv's arms snake around Owen's neck but she doesn't look at either of them. Do they know? Do they know how Vic can be to her? There's no possible way, not with her healing mutation, but Vic isn't exactly the kindest person. They've seen his anger. Perhaps they simply fear that anger will be turned on her? They just don't know to what extent. Or how often it usually is. And it will be excessive this time, if he takes this as Barry suggests he will.

She wishes Vic wasn't her father. She wishes Owen really was. That is a secret Vic must never know because the consequences will be greater than even she will be able to withstand.

Owen tightens his grip on her and she looks up. There's questions in the clenching of his jaw and the way his eyes bore into hers, like he can penetrate all her defenses through sheer force of will alone and find the answers himself. For one moment, she contemplates just handing them to him, but she can't. It will only lead to more questions, questions she wishes to avoid.

If she tells him about the...abuse...he will ask why there are no signs. There are no marks, no bruises. If she tells Owen about the things her father has done to her, she will be forced to tell him about her mutation as well. So few people are accepting of mutants, their fear of the strange and unknown taking hold as has happened time and time again throughout history. They wish mutants rounded up and cataloged, placed in cages like these dinosaurs. Some even wish mutants to be killed, fearing they will rise up against the normals.

She knows there are some normal people who are accepting of mutants, who believe mutants shouldn't be feared just because they're different, that everyone should have equal rights, normals and mutants alike, but they are few. So, so few.

On which side will Owen fall?

She diverts her eyes with a strange sense of shame, even though it's for her own safety. She hears and feels Owen sigh and she cringes, thinking he's not going to help her now.

"Whatever happens, I'll just have to protect her," Owen says instead and she looks at him in surprise. "It isn't right, Barry. He's doing nothing to help her and she shouldn't have to do this on her own. I mean, just look at her. Does she really look well enough to take care of herself right now?"

Barry looks at the pair of them for a long time, eyes lingering on her. And then the fight drains out of him. "Okay," he sighs. "You're right. Vic is not completing his duties as her father, making her suffer like this." He gives Liv an apologetic smile. "None of this is fair to you, little one. You should not be burdened with so much so young. If Owen is willing to take care of you in the way that Vic should, then I will stand by him. I will stand by you both."

Liv smiles, wet and blurry. Why, why must her throat hurt so much? There is no way she can ever thank them enough but she can't even at least say the words. And gaining Barry as an ally is something that needs much thanks.

Barry jerks his chin towards the door. "Go. If Vic comes looking for her, I will handle it." He reaches out a hand and squeezes her arm reassuringly. "You will be alright, little one. We will make sure of it."

Relief washes over her, cooler than the wet cloth and feeling so much better. As Owen carries her off she closes her eyes and rests her head on his shoulder, trusting him to take things from here.

The squelching heat of the fever takes a tighter hold, making it hard to focus on anything outside of her own body. Reality shatters into shards of glass and she only catches slivered glimpses.

There's the feel of a leather seat beneath her and the gentle rocking of a car on the dirt road.

Soft sheets on her burning skin.

Another cool cloth on her brow.

A hand tilting her head up to drink something vile. Followed by water to help quench the aftertaste and the burning heat. But still the heat rages on.

She thinks she sleeps for a while, because the next time she remembers anything solid it is the pitch darkness of night outside the window. The window and surrounding wall are unfamiliar and for one brief second panic overtakes her. She's still wearing the same comfy clothes she remembers putting on, so that's good, but where is she?

Then she hears a loud snore. In the soft glow of the moonlight coming in through the window she sees Owen, propped up in a chair next to her on her left, chin resting on his chest, and fast asleep.

That's right. He took her somewhere, so that he can watch over her and help her get better. But where is here? She expected him to take her to where all employees live on the island, in a series of suites in one wing of the Jurassic World hotel. Liv shares one with her father, both of them with their own bedrooms. She thought Owen would take her to her room, or perhaps the suite where he lives, but this is not the opulent suites of the hotel.

Here, the walls are made out of metal, the ceiling too. There's a tree branch bumping against the window pane, and she realizes this must be some sort of trailer, parked out in the woods unoccupied by any dinosaurs. Does Owen live here? Why would anyone live here instead of at the hotel? The hotel is certainly nicer, not to mention roomier. She's lying in a bed, a big king-sized one that takes up a majority of the room. There's a small cupboard to her right that's probably a closet and a dresser pressed against the wall under the window, together making the room feel even smaller since there's next to no floor space left. But the space feels…lived in. Cared for. Not the bleak uniformity of the hotel. There are knickknacks on the dresser and pictures on the walls. The blankets on the bed are soft and worn and well-used. They must have been pulled snugly around her, at least at one point. Now, they're mostly kicked off. Between the fever and how awful she still feels, what sleep she got was probably mostly restless.

Liv licks her lips anxiously, finding them dry and cracked. Her entire mouth feels like it's filled with cotton. There's a glass of water on the dresser, close enough to where she can probably grab it if she sits up, so she props herself on one elbow in order to grab it.

Big mistake.

As soon as she moves the upper half of her body even the tiniest bit up, her stomach lurches. Faster than what her weak body feels capable of, she flings herself towards the door at the end of the bed. Right outside the bedroom on the left is another door opened up on a bathroom and she darts inside. As soon as she gets the lid and seat up on the toilet she lets go of her control, heaving bile in waves. Tears stream down her face from the force of her hacking and her throat burns from the stomach acid, making it feel even worse.

Several minutes pass before it stops, leaving her taking in gasping breaths of air in an attempt to calm her stomach. It's still roiling, threatening another round, but when nothing happens she finally opens her eyes.

There's a presence behind her, and hands, comforting hands, not hands that hurt. One holds her hair back out of the way and another rubs soothing circles in her back.

"Shh," Owen coos softly. She's not alone. She's not alone. "It's alright, kid. You're alright."

"Owen?" she croaks out, still leaning over with her hands gripping the sides of the toilet so hard her knuckles are white. Her legs shake, threatening to buckle under her, but she's afraid to move, afraid that as soon as she does she'll have to throw up again.

"Yeah, it's me. You done?"

"I-I don't know. M-Maybe?"

"That's okay. We'll take it slow. Let's just set you down, alright?"

She nods. It's not like she can stay standing in front of the toilet all night just waiting anyway. Slowly, Owen leads her away until she's sitting on the cold tile floor with her back against the opposite wall. She closes her eyes again, thumping her head back on the wall, as he goes about cleaning up her mess. Well, at least she made it into the toilet, so it's not much. The toilet flushes. Water runs from a sink. There's the sharp tang of a cleaner. And then there's his hands again, one brushing her hair away from her face as the other wipes a wet cloth along her mouth, cleaning her too. She smiles gratefully.

This would have been awful if Vic was the one taking care of her instead. He would have been annoyed at the mess, annoyed with her, annoyed that her healing mutation doesn't include illnesses. He would have made her clean up her own mess. He...probably wouldn't have actually taken care of her at all.

"You need anything?" Owen asks, sitting next to her. It's cramped with both of them in here, but for once she doesn't mind the close proximity. "A drink of water or something?"

She shakes her head. "I feel like if I eat or drink anything it'll just come right back out."

"Okay," he says softly.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, Liv breathing deeply through her mouth. The ache in her stomach refuses to ease and she whimpers miserably. She doesn't want to throw up again. Yet a part of her does want to, just so that maybe her stomach will calm down, like the sickness itself will come out with the bile. Uncontrollable shivers start running up her spine and down her limbs, like there's an earthquake deep in her bones. Owen asks if she's cold but she just shakes her head. She's actually kind of hot and there's sweat coating her skin, making her feel sticky.

She whimpers again. Why can't it all just stop?

Sliding sideways, her head finds Owen's shoulder, seeking whatever comfort she can. She wants a hug. She's never wanted a hug more in her life. But she doesn't know how to ask for one.

"Do you want to head back to bed?" Owen asks, not quite taking the hint. "Try to get some more sleep?"

She shakes her head while still leaning on him. No, she doesn't want to go back to bed where she'll just be tossing and turning. There will be no more sleep for her tonight. Not with the way she feels right now.

"You want to crash on the couch then? Watch some T.V.?"

Since that sounds a lot better than going to bed or staying on the bathroom floor, she nods. At least it might help take her mind off of everything. Standing is interesting. Her stomach makes another nasty hurdle but after staying still for a minute it calms back down to a manageable level. Manageable, but not really better.

With Owen's help she shuffles through the trailer, his arm around her shoulders leading her along and keeping her upright. Her legs feel like jelly. They turn the corner out of the bathroom and go through the kitchen. Normally, in trailers, all of the appliances and cabinets are on one wall along a counter and then on the opposite wall is a booth with a table, acting as the dining area. Here, there is no booth. Both sides act as the kitchen, with extra counter and cabinet space where the booth would normally be. The dining area is, instead, further down, where a living area with couches would be. There's an actual wooden table with three chairs in the space, the fourth chair probably the one Owen was sitting in earlier at her bedside.

There's a door in one wall in the dining area, the door leading outside, but the far wall isn't there. There's a hole in the trailer where someone has extended it, adding on in wood. They step from the carpet of the trailer to the hardwood floor of the added structure and turn the corner. It's almost like a small cabin, with a couch against the left wall in front of a coffee table, an armchair next to it, and a large screen T.V. hanging on the right wall. Below the T.V. is a cabinet with players, game systems, and all their disks, and the floor is covered in a plush red area rug. There's another door that leads outside, along with a big sliding window next to it.

Everything is still dark, sunrise hours away.

He gets her settled on the couch, taking the blanket draped across the back of it and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Thank you," she mumbles softly, even though she's still not cold at all despite the chills, but the softness is comforting in a way so she draws it closer around her.

One corner of his mouth tips up in a smile but there's still worry in his eyes. He grabs the remote off the coffee table and then moves to sit in the armchair.

Before he can, Liv grabs his hand, making him pause.

"Hmm?" His fingers curl around hers, holding back. "What is it? Do you need me to get you something?"

She shakes her head. No, her stomach still feels pretty lousy. She clears her throat in order to talk but winces from the pain it causes, lifting a hand to her neck as if she can soothe the scratching ache from the outside.

"Do you want some water?" Owen asks.

She shakes her head again. No. She just wants him to stay next to her on the couch. But she doesn't know how to ask. Ever since her birthday, he's the one who initiates all of their hugs.

But the day after her birthday she just...went for one. She was so happy he made her a cake, she could barely form words besides a continual "thank you". She didn't even think of her actions, it just happened, her body moving on its own. And he seemed fine with it, hugged her back and everything. Vic would have pried her off if she ever did that to him, but she's already established that Owen isn't like Vic, not at all.

Does that mean it really is that easy? She doesn't even have to really ask?

With that thought in mind she gives his hand a tug until he sits down on the couch next to her.

"Is something wrong?" he asks worriedly, obviously unsure what to do. Instead of answering she just goes for it, leaning against his side with her head on his shoulder.

They both tense, Owen in surprise, Liv in uncertainty and fear. When he still doesn't move she's afraid she did something wrong. Should she have actually asked? Did she do it wrong? Does he not want to hug her? But then a soft chuckle vibrates in his chest beneath her head and she tilts her face up to look at him.

"Alright, alright," he says with a fond smile and laughter in his eyes. "I get it."

Owen settles back into the couch, propping his feet on the coffee table, and wraps his arm around her, pulling her closer. With a contented sigh she snuggles into his side as he turns on the T.V. and channel surfs to try to find something decent on this time of night.

Huh.

It's true.

Hugs really do make a person feel better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, was the sick!Liv still worth it?
> 
> Next chapter is a direct followup from this one, though it jumps to the end of the weekend when she's fixing to go home.
> 
> And this time, it really is hurt!Liv.
> 
> *sigh* I really am mean to my characters but I just can't help it.
> 
> Next update is Sunday.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	8. Suspicions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you guys are probably going to hate me for this chapter. But I promise, it will get better for Liv. Just not today.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy. Or hate me. I'm gonna go hide behind Blue.

Normally, the sound of silence is comforting, soothing, like it's an actual, physical presence that eases the tension out of Liv's shoulders. Normally, silence helps her to relax, but that's because, normally, there's no one else around to make any noise.

Under Owen's care, she gets better. She spends the entire weekend at his place, his bungalow as he calls it, bundled up on the couch with Owen constantly by her side. During that time, it's almost never quiet. The T.V. plays some crime drama Owen has a weakness for. Owen rereads  _Tom Sawyer_  to her, different voices for each of the characters and all. A radio even older than her plays in the background, playing songs Owen sings along to. He asks her if he should try out for American Idol and she tells him bluntly no. But with a smile on her face.

Non-silence can be comforting, too.

She feels bad for keeping him from work but when she tries to apologize he just holds her tighter and tells her she's worth it.

She's never felt like she's worth anything before.

By the time she has to return to Miami she feels mostly okay. Owen drives her back to the main facility so she can catch her helicopter ride out, making her promise to text him when she gets home so he knows she gets there safe. He drops her off and she bids him goodbye.

She doesn't tell him that there's still one last thing she has to do before she leaves.

With reluctant feet she makes her way to the suite she shares with Vic. This morning she found a text waiting for her from her father, telling her to make sure she stops by the suite to say goodbye before leaving the island. She sees the order in the letters.

How he's going to say goodbye is what she's worried about.

The door clicks open with a swipe of her key card and she cautiously steps inside, letting her backpack slip from her shoulders to land on the floor by the door with a hard thud that echoes in the room like a building collapsing.

This silence is not comforting or soothing or relaxing. This silence sounds like a held breath before being pushed over a cliff. It's the quiet silence that surrounds a jaguar before it pounces on its prey. This isn't from a lack of anyone around to make noise because she knows Vic is in here, waiting for her.

She walks down the short entryway, hands shaking at her sides. To the left of the entryway is the kitchen and dining area. On the wall opposite her are two doors, their bedrooms, each with their own ensuite bathroom. To the right is the living room.

And there, sitting on the couch with a beer in hand even though it's only early afternoon, is Vic. His eyes lock on her instantly, and without looking away he takes another drink from the glass bottle. The bottle clanks against the glass coffee table when he puts it down and then he stands, stalking towards her with dark intent shadowing his face.

Still, the silence.

Until a loud smack reverberates through her when he backhands her, sending her crashing to the floor. It burns with a stinging fire but it gradually fades. The blurry tears in her eyes when she looks up at her father don't. They start to spill down her face as he takes his belt off, holding the ends in one hand.

She's glad she took her tiger necklace off before coming here, hiding it deep in her backpack.

There's no silence for a long time. It doesn't come again until the front door slams shut behind Vic and there's the stench of pain and blood in the air. Liv lays still on the floor, her skin itching slightly as it stitches itself back together.

" _Don't ever disobey me again,"_  her father's words, still crowding around her head.  _"If I find out you went to him again instead of doing as you're told, we'll find out just how far I can go, you mutant freak."_

The words sting in a way the beating hadn't. Worse. Because the wounds they cause are further down than just skin deep. Her healing ability can't heal them, especially when it's part of the cause.

All she wanted was someone to take care of her while she was sick. All she wanted was a little bit of kindness, kindness she knows Vic won't ever be capable of showing her. She wanted to spend time with someone who actually cares for her and to pretend that she's normal. That she has a normal family, a normal father who cares about her the way a father should, and that she, herself, is normal. Not a mutant.

If he finds out she's a mutant, would he still say she's worth it?

The helicopter won't wait forever so Liv picks herself up as soon as the worst is healed. A jacket covers the rest. All throughout the long journey back to Florida she contemplates her future.

She wants to be able to spend time with Owen but by the way Vic reacted she knows his tolerance won't last. He feels threatened, like a predator. Another animal is encroaching on his territory and he doesn't like it.

But Liv likes being with Owen. He's fun and kind. He treats her like an adult but not in the way her parents do, expecting her to grow up faster than she should. He listens to her, really  _listens_  to her, like her opinions matter. He lets her make her own decisions and respects them. All the while, he's still aware of the fact that she's a kid, not to be coddled, exactly, but to be taken care of. It's a give and take she's never experienced before and she doesn't want to lose that.

She finally has a true sense of what it means to be happy and she doesn't want to lose that.

The thing is, if she lets things stay as they are, Vic will probably continue to beat her just as bad, if not worse, for it. And Owen can't protect her from her father, even though he swore he would. That's obvious just from today.

Is it worth it though? She'll heal, but is trying to keep Owen in her life worth the pain?

Her only other viable option is to tell Owen about the abuse. He could have protected her today, if she had told him what she was walking into. However, telling him the truth just leads her in another circle. If she tells Owen about the things Vic has done to her, he'll wonder why there aren't any signs, any scars. Next time he sees her, she should still have signs of this beating. But she'll be completely healed. If she tells Owen what's going on, she'll have to tell him she's a mutant, and she is so, so afraid of how he'll react to that.

Is he pro-mutant or a mutant hater? Honestly, the odds are against her. Normal people who actually like mutants are a small minority.

And, really, what can Owen do if she tells him? Get her father arrested? Maybe, but that'll just mean she'll have to live with her mother full-time and then she won't see him ever again, him or the raptors.

She tosses her backpack on her bed in the apartment she lives in with her mom. The whole apartment is all black and white, clinical, minimalist, without any personality. Even her room has few splashes of color or things that are truly hers. She doesn't have an allowance and both of her parents are against "unnecessary spending".

It's silent again, the silence that tells her that her mom is gone, probably at the office, and has been for a while. Her mom isn't here to greet her, to find out how her weekend was, how her summer's going, if she's excited to be starting high school. She doesn't do any of those things, ever.

Owen does.

She digs her phone out of her backpack, sitting down in her desk chair as she scrolls through the contacts. There are only four of them. Her mom and dad, obviously, a taxi service she uses to go back and forth between her mom's building and the airport, and Owen. Her finger hesitates over Owen's name, not really sure what she's going to do yet, whether she's going to delete his number and be done with him, give in to her sense of self-preservation, or text him like he asked her to, let him know she's okay and that she'll see him in two weeks.

She ends up pressing his name and calling him.

The phone rings in her ear, like a gong signaling the arrival of something important. It causes her nerves to tangle up in knots.

Maybe she should hang up. This isn't really necessary. He's probably busy and won't have time for her. He did say to text him, not call.

She's about ready to click end call when it connects.

"This is Grady," he says, sounding distracted and like he picked up the phone absentmindedly without checking to see who's calling.

"Hey, Owen," she says, fingers picking at the bottom of her jacket, "it's, um, Liv."

"Hey, Liv." She can hear the grin in his voice as all of his attention turns solely to her. It's a nice feeling. "You make it home okay? You feeling any better?"

"Yeah, the flight was good. Better than the flight out on Friday. And I am feeling better. I think the fever is completely gone now."

"Good. That's good." There's a nervous, hesitating silence before he says, "You sure you're okay?"

"Of course," she says, trying to force a smile into her voice to mask her unease. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just that, I said you could just text me and you end up calling. And you took a lot longer than I thought you would getting home. Are you sure you made it to the helicopter alright?"

She can hear the underlying question. Did she make it off the island without running into Vic? She bites her lip hard, closing her eyes, trying to fight against the tears wanting to swallow her in her indecision.

To tell or not to tell? That is the question, isn't it?

"Everything's going to be okay, right, Owen?" she asks, voice quivering slightly. She prays he doesn't hear it. "Everything's going to be okay?"

"Yeah, of course it is," he says earnestly, consolingly, and she knows she failed. "Liv, did...did something happen? Did your dad do something...wrong?"

She pulls her feet up on the chair, drawing her legs close to her chest and burying her face in her knees. "I can't," she cries softly, voice muffled. "I can't."

"Shh, shh, it's okay. You don't have to say anything." His voice goes quiet and cold. "I think I already know."

Of course he does. He's been guessing it since the day they first met. Most likely, the only reason he hasn't done anything yet is because she refuses to confirm it.

And she won't. She can't. Because mutants are freaks and it won't amount to anything.

"Liv…You know you can tell me, right? Let me help you."

Tears streak down her face, hot and cold at the same time. "I-I don't think you can."

"Yes, I can. I will do whatever it takes to protect you. But I can't do anything unless you tell me the truth."

It would be so easy to do. Just a few words and it will be out in the open. Instead, she shakes her head adamantly. "I'm sorry, Owen."

* * *

Owen just stands there listening to the dial tone for a moment after Liv hangs up on him, anger bristling. Anger at Vic, for doing who knows what awful things to his daughter. At Liv, a little, admittedly, for not telling him what's going on. And at himself, for being so helpless even though he promised he would protect her, and for not making her feel like she can trust him. She doesn't trust him to take care of her and, really, who can blame her? He said he'd protect her and failed. He called ahead to make sure Vic wasn't in the Control Room or anywhere near the Innovation Center, but Vic still got to her. Something obviously happened, something bad, and it spooked her enough to call him, to almost give in and tell him, but she pulled back, in the end.

He yells, almost growls, in frustration, his arm moving to throw his phone, but he holds back, barely. He's in the entry cage to the raptor paddock. If he throws his phone here, he could very well lose it.

"What has you so upset, my friend?" Barry asks, coming in through the outer door carrying a bucket of dead rats. They were just about to feed the raptors their evening snack with a couple of training exercises. "Is it Liv?"

"Yes," Owen snaps, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "She called. Something happened to her after I dropped her off this morning but she won't tell me what." He runs a hand roughly through his hair, leaving it sticking up in places. "I swear Vic is hurting her, Barry, but she won't let me help. It's like she's afraid to."

Barry sets his bucket down and steps in front of Owen. Owen tries to shoulder past but Barry catches his arm, stop him abruptly. "Owen," he says forcefully, not saying more until Owen's burning eyes reluctantly look up at him. A part of him expects Barry to say I told you so but he doesn't. "I know you care deeply for the girl but there is nothing more that can be done, not unless she wishes it."

Owen deflates, knowing Barry is right, until all that is left is grief for Liv and desperation. "But she got hurt, because of me. Because I wanted to take care of her. I-I don't regret doing it. She needed help. I can do things differently; try harder not to upset Vic so she doesn't have to suffer the consequences. But what about next time? What if he decides to hurt her for another reason? How do I protect her then?"

"You can't," Barry says, blunt but honest. "The only way to really protect her is to get her to open up about what her father has done to her, and the only way to do that is through trust."

Owen snorts humorlessly. "And how do you suggest I do that? She's armored herself harder than an Ankylosaur and she's as stubborn as a Triceratops. Every time I think I gain her trust she bottles up again."

"The best way to gain trust is through time and action. Time, we have plenty of. Vic won't keep her from coming to the island. She is still his daughter and he wants her here, so there will be plenty more weekend visits. You simply need to work on action." He grips Owen's shoulder, looking him directly in the eye, quiet and intense. "Show her you are worthy of her trust. Take care of her. Spend time with her. Treat her as she deserves to be treated; as Vic has never treated her before but should. Just be her friend."

"I'm doing all of those things already and apparently that's not enough."

"Then draw her further into your life. Show her more of what she is missing from allowing herself to be shackled by Vic. Get her more involved here, with the raptors. Help her discover the life she could have if she allows herself to."

"But what if Vic gets suspicious? I've heard the water cooler talk. She's never gotten so involved with the park before, not with the dinosaurs or anything. She used to just be a little shadow the workers would keep an eye out for. They're starting to wonder, why now?" He knows why. He's shown her an attention and kindness she's never experienced before, and she's drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Right now she may be afraid of getting burned but she's still attracted to it. "Vic is starting to wonder, too. She needs a reason to be around that won't make him ask questions or have him hovering like he has been."

Barry hums thoughtfully, rubbing a hand over the top of his head, when something in the paddock catches his eye and he tenses, muscles coiled like a threatened rattlesnake.

Owen turns slowly to see all four raptors no more than three feet away from the cage gate.

He silently chastises himself, even as he frozenly stares at the pack. Never turn your back on the cage. That's rule number one, a rule he wrote himself, and he just broke it. Both he and Barry had been too engrossed in their conversation to notice the deadly raptors' approach. How long had they been there? Seconds? Minutes? Either way, they hadn't made a sound, prowling over the ground softer than the wind without even the slightest rustle of leaves. The perfect predators. If the cage gate was opened they would be dead right now. A part of him wonders, would being their alpha have kept them from attacking?

Except none of the raptors are looking at them as prey. They aren't hunched to the ground, ready to strike. They're jaws aren't opened, revealing teeth sharper than the hunting knife strapped to his back. Though their eyes are staring at them with an intense focus backed by an instinct and intelligence far greater than any other animal Owen has ever worked with, it doesn't feel like they're looking at potential meals. He knows how animals act when they're on the hunt and it isn't this.

What caused the raptors to come over? Is it because they heard their alpha? Did the raptors sense Owen's agitation?

Blue takes a step forward. Her nostrils flare, scenting the air. She then purposefully looks up at Liv's chair up on the catwalk, her gaze shifting form the chair to Owen and back again.

"They want to know where Liv is," Owen says in awed realization.

"But why?" Barry asks.

All of the raptors are looking up at Liv's chair now. If he had to guess, he'd say they look almost…worried. "They saw her on Friday. They could probably smell the sickness on her. I think…they want to know if she's okay."

"They're raptors, Owen. They don't care about anyone beyond their pack."

"She is pack, Barry, I've told you. They've accepted her."

"But she is human. They would sooner eat her."

"I'm human."

"Yes, but you are the alpha and you imprinted on them at birth. Though I'm still not convinced they won't decide to eat you if given the chance."

Owen glares at him resentfully. "Gee, thanks, buddy."

"I'm sorry, my friend, but you forget that they are simply animals."

"And you forget they're unlike any animals we've ever worked with. They're not simple, definitely not simple-minded. They're extremely intelligent and that doesn't just mean smart. They're capable of having respect and loyalty for others, even humans. We just have to earn it."

"Owen-"

He holds up a hand to stop him. "I know. I know. That doesn't mean I can just walk around in their paddock whenever I want, and I'm not stupid enough to try it. I'm just…," he sighs heavily, "I guess I'm just trying to say that they care. They really do care. I mean, look at them, Barry. They keep staring at her chair. What do you think that means?"

Barry's mouth presses into a thin line. "I don't know. They could be wondering where she is because they care, as you say. Or they could be wondering where their favorite potential meal is."

"Do you really believe that?"

Blue chitters quietly, still looking at Liv's spot. How can Barry deny what he's seeing? The raptors have never acted like this before. This isn't a ferocious animal looking for a meal. There's no sign of the hunt in their eyes. There's no aggression or hostility. There's almost a...gentleness to them.

"Come on, Barry," Owen says. "Look at them, seriously look at them. What do you see?"

Barry rubs a hand roughly down his face and then nods. "Okay. Okay. You're right." Owen smirks. " _Maybe."_ He narrows his eyes at Owen. "I admit, this doesn't appear to be the behavior of a predator, but for what reason do they have to care for Liv?"

"I don't know. But there's only one way to find out. Like you said, we need to get Liv more involved here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, yeah, Liv doesn't tell him yet. Even if she wasn't a mutant, all the fear that goes into confessing something like this is huge, but being a mutant in a world where mutants are mostly feared and hated just makes it all so much worse for her. But, like I said, things will get better. Promise.
> 
> Next chapter will be Tuesday. And Claire makes an appearance!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	9. Intern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, again! Time for another update. We get a lot of Claire in this chapter but, unfortunately, there's no Owen & Liv or Liv & raptors this chapter. Next chapter, though. Next chapter.
> 
> Alright, go onward and enjoy!

Owen taps his foot impatiently on the tile floor. The reception area is clinically neat and orderly, with white tile, carefully positioned pieces of abstract art on white walls, and cushy brown chairs. There are magazines on coffee tables but none of them catch his interest. Even if they did, he has no patience to read right now.

He looks at his watch, then the clock on the wall, then glances at Zara sitting behind the reception desk. Zara is a tall British woman with straight dark hair, making an interesting contrast with short, red-headed Claire, but she is just as strict and organized as her boss. Zara is Claire's assistant and together they run the park with incredible efficiency. It's because of that efficiency that he knows Claire won't keep him waiting too long but he's anxious to get the ball rolling on his idea.

So long as Claire agrees to help.

The door to the left of the desk suddenly opens, Claire stepping aside to hold it open for Dr. Henry Wu. Dr. Wu is a small, stocky-built Asian and the lead geneticist working on the island. He's been creating dinosaurs since the beginning, first with John Hammond and now with Masrani.

"Thank you for your time," Dr. Wu tells Claire, shaking her hand with a kind smile that always seems to be on his face. Owen doesn't trust that smile though. It's the kind of smile that will just as easily lead you off a cliff if you trust him.

"The pleasure's all mine, Dr. Wu, and good luck," Claire answers, also with a smile, but Owen recognizes it as the one she uses for business, a part of her professional wardrobe just as much as the skirts and blouses she wears all the time in solid colors, never anything with a pattern or personality.

Dr. Wu leaves, passing Owen with a polite nod and he nods back, eyes never leaving the doctor until the elevator doors close on him.

There's something about Dr. Wu that just...isn't right.

"Hello, Mr. Grady," Claire says with that same professional smile, drawing his attention.

"Ms. Dearing." He shakes her outstretched hand. He may not be as professional as a lot of the people here but his ma did ingrain a good bit of manners in him, though he doesn't always like to use them. Which is why he has no problem with being nosy. "So, what were you talking about with Dr. Wu?"

Something in his gut urges him to ask, really, that same instinct that kept him alive in the Navy and during his time as an animal trainer. Something's going on that he's not necessarily going to like.

"Oh, we were just talking about a possible new asset for the park." Her smile never wavers, acting as not only a part of her wardrobe but as a mask. It probably helps her in the business world but Owen doesn't like it right now, doesn't like not knowing what she's thinking.

"A new dinosaur? Which one?"

"The details aren't set in stone and even if they were, I am not at liberty to discuss it with you, Mr. Grady."

Well, that's comforting, nice and vague and hiding behind Non-Disclosure Agreements. Not even park employees like Owen can know about the dinosaurs the labs are cooking up until the eggs are made. Whatever this new "asset" is, it could be anything.

And just about all of the dinosaurs can be deadly. It's only a matter of  _how_  deadly.

"So, Zara tells me there's something you would like to discuss?" Claire deflects, leading him away from their previous conversation and into her office. It's just as clinical as the reception area, with her desk in front of a wall of windows overlooking the jungle and no personal touches at all. No knickknacks, no family photos, nothing. Claire sits in her big leather office chair behind the desk, motioning Owen to take one of the visitor chairs and he does. Perhaps it is time he got to the reason he's here. Liv is much more important than small talk, even if he does find Claire's eyes the most beautiful piercing blue he's ever seen.

"I wanted to talk to you about Liv," he says, cutting to the chase. He and Barry talked about it a lot the last two days, trying to come up with ways to get Liv more involved at the Research Center without drawing attention from Vic. All of them include getting help from Claire.

"Vic Hoskins's daughter?" she asks curiously. "What about her?"

"I want to help her."

"Help her? What do you mean?"

"Do you really not know?" How can she be so naive? So blind? Owen leans forward, elbows on his knees. "Claire, the first day I met Liv I could tell something wasn't right with her and her dad. Now, months later, I  _know_  he isn't treating her right. You've known her for years. How could you not have noticed?"

Claire leans back in her chair, clearly miffed. "One, my name is  _Ms. Dearing_. Two, Vic Hoskins is not abusing Liv. I have never, in all the years I've known her, seen any physical signs of abuse."

Owen rolls his eyes. "There's more kinds of abuse than just physical,  _Ms. Dearing_ , though I'm still not about to rule it out. Haven't you ever noticed the way he treats her? When he thinks no one's watching he manhandles her in a way that I'm surprised doesn't leave any bruises and he's strict, really strict."

"How Vic wants to discipline his daughter is his business, Mr. Grady."

He rears back incredulously. "Discipline? Seriously, have you  _met_  Liv? Does she really seem like a kid who actually needs to be disciplined?"

"Well, no. She is very well-behaved and polite."

"Exactly. And while we're on it, doesn't it seem strange to you, just how polite she is? No kid acts like that, especially teenagers."

"I admit, it is a little strange. It often takes me by surprise-"

"And then there's the rest of the time. She's skittish around other people. Afraid of ever doing anything wrong. Scared when people get mad around her, especially if there's swearing. If she does any little thing without Vic's permission she's terrified of him finding out. She's terrified of her own father, Claire!"

"I'm not sure-"

"He also neglects her all the time. Did you know he didn't even remember her birthday? Didn't acknowledge it at all."

Claire finally frowns. "Really…."

"Then this past weekend, she got sick, and Vic refused to even take care of her. She was miserable, running a high fever of a hundred and two, and he wouldn't take care of her. Just left her alone to fend for herself. She ended up coming to me and I took care of her the entire weekend without Vic ever stopping by or even calling to check up on her."

"Did Vic know you took her?"

"Of course he did. Calling him was the first thing I did when Liv showed up, and you know what he told me? He told me to just send her to her room, that she'd be fine and was just exaggerating. A hundred and two fever and he said she'd be just fine on her own. I couldn't do that. Just by looking at her I knew it was serious." His fists clench in his lap, his throat suddenly feeling tight. "And then on Sunday Liv called me when she got home and..."

"And what, Mr. Grady?" Claire asks softly with genuine concern, like maybe she's starting to actually listen to him.

"And I knew something had happened, something bad with her dad. She wouldn't say, she was  _so close_ , but she wouldn't tell me what he did. But she sounded close to tears and asked me if everything was gonna be okay." He leans forward again, placing his face in his hands. "I don't have an answer for her, Claire, not really. Not unless she tells me what's really going on, but she's too afraid to."

Claire breathes out a slow breath, for once her business mask frazzled. "Why come to me with all this? Why not talk to the police?"

He drops his hands, looking at Claire seriously. "We're on Isla Nublar, Claire, not the United States. The InGen security is the closest thing we have to police out here without going to the mainland and Vic is their boss. Even if I did go to the mainland, Vic would probably find out what I'm up to as soon as I leave. You're the next closest thing I have."

"But she's not here all the time. She's goes back to the States two weeks at a time. Better yet, why not tell her mother?"

He snorts. "From what Liv tells me, her mom is never around. And I  _still_ can't tell the police, even if I did go back to the States myself. They won't believe me that anything wrong is going on without physical evidence or a testimony from Liv. If it's just severe child neglect there won't be much evidence, unless I can record a video of something but that's probably not going to happen. Which means I have to get Liv to tell me the truth. For that, I need your help."

Claire's fingers tap on her desk and she bites her lip, the red of her lipstick smearing on her teeth a little bit. Right now, with the mask fully gone, he can read her like one of the many animals he's trained. She's nervous. Contemplative. Hesitant. She's torn between believing and not believing him. She only has what he's told her and what she's noticed herself to go on, and who knows how much she's actually noticed. Based on her initial reaction, not much. But she has instincts, just like animals, just like any human. And her instincts are telling her that something really is wrong. If they weren't, she would have shot him down already.

But will someone like Claire, cool, logical, more than a bit OCD, will someone like her actually listen to her instincts?

"Okay," Claire says, some of her professionalism restored. "I admit, when put into that perspective, Liv's and Vic's relationship does seem to be...questionably unhealthy, but you said it yourself, there is no real evidence. If you're wanting me to act against Vic, I'm going to need more than your say so."

Owen breaths a little sigh of relief. Some real progress. "No, I know. That's not what I'm asking. I need to gain Liv's trust if she's ever going to tell me the truth, and to do that I need to be able to spend more time with her without Vic getting suspicious. He...I think he hurt her Sunday before she left, because she went to me for help. He might get mad again if we spend time together without a real reason."

"Alright." Claire opens a drawer in her desk, taking out a tablet and stylus, ready to work. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Liv is dragging her feet getting herself to the island. She's scared. Scared her father is still going to be mad, even after two weeks. Scared Owen is going to be mad at her, because she wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know.

Scared that things between her and Owen are going to be different now, that he'll hate her, that they've lost what they had and he's going to push her away because of it.

Vic is in the Control Room when she gets there, clutching the straps of her backpack tightly in her hands. His eyes narrow at her as soon as she's off the elevator and she gulps. Is he going to punish her again? He's never punished her twice for something but he was pretty mad this time.

He crooks a finger at her, motioning her to come closer, and she does even though she wants nothing more than to run in the opposite direction.

If she makes him wait it'll just upset him though.

"Olivia," he says, sounding not exactly mad, but he's displeased about something.

"Yes, sir?" she asks promptly.

"Ms. Dearing wants to speak with you. Come on."

Well, okay, she wasn't expecting that. Unless it's an excuse he's using to get her alone so he can punish her again? She follows him towards the elevator but just before he pushes the button the door opens, revealing Zara.

"Just who I was looking for," Zara says, smiling down at Liv. "Come along, Liv, you have an appointment with Ms. Dearing."

"Okay," Liv says quietly, getting on the elevator with a million questions floating around her head. So Claire wanting to see her is real but what is it about? Why would Claire want to talk to her? And why did she send Zara to collect her?

Vic moves to board the elevator as well but Zara stops him with a raised hand, inches from his chest but not touching. "We don't need you for this meeting, Mr. Hoskins. You already discussed the specifics with Ms. Dearing and have agreed. We just need to go over everything with Liv. There's no reason for you to hear the same information twice."

Vic opens his mouth to retort, quite angrily by the look on his face, but then a couple of the techies push past him to make it onto the elevator, forcing him to back away, and then the doors are closing. He tries to get his hand between the doors but he's not fast enough, the elevator moving up without him.

Liv lets out a quiet sigh of relief. Whatever this is, she doesn't want him interfering, especially if there are any decisions that need to be made. She wants to be able to make her own decisions.

The elevator stops a couple of times to let the techies get out on their floors until it is just Liv and Zara. When the elevator stops again they step out into the pristine reception area, Zara leading her straight through to Claire's office, only pausing for a moment to knock on the office door before opening it.

"Liv, hello," Claire greets cordially, her smile seeming oddly more sincere this time instead of just professional. Claire steps around her desk to shake Liv's hand, drawing her further into the room as she tells her assistant, "Thank you, Zara. That'll be all."

Zara leaves and then it's just the two of them, Claire ushering Liv over to sit in one of the chairs in front of her desk, Claire, surprisingly, taking the other one beside her.

"So, um, my dad said you wanted to talk to me about something?" Liv stumbles over the words, feeling really unsure right now. She and Claire have an easy relationship, though she wouldn't exactly consider them close. It would probably fall somewhere between what she has with her mom and what she has with Owen. It's an easy coexistence like what Liv has with her mom but she sees Claire a lot more often, believe it or not, and the two of them get along really well though not exactly friendly.

Kind of like coworkers. They don't do personal, just work-related.

But what "work-related" things could they have to talk about? Is there a problem with her coming to the island every two weeks? Because her visits are really the only reason Claire would have to talk to Liv, especially to go to all this trouble of setting aside time just for her.

Claire takes a brochure off her desk and hands it to her. "This is what I wanted to talk to you about. Mr. Masrani has been wanting to get Jurassic World more involved with students, especially those of college age, aside from simply setting up field trips. He wants to get the students more involved with the park, allow them to spend more than just one day here and get deeper into the workings of how we do things, from the science used to recreate dinosaurs to taking care of the animals to the business sides of running the park."

Liv glances down at the brochure, opening it up to look at pictures of the park, trainers, dinosaurs, and smiling students with the words "Intern Now at Jurassic World" written across the shiny paper in big, bold letters. "You want to start an internship program?"

"Exactly. Masrani sees students as a well of untapped potential so long as we get to them soon enough." By the bland look on her face Claire doesn't completely agree, her view on the younger generations being what it is, but neither of them say anything about it. "He wants to bring them in, start shaping their minds into tools to help put us on a fast-track to advancements in genetics and behavioral research. These students will not only get college credit but also job offers, if they excel high enough.

"But before we make the program public we want to test it first. To do that, we are asking for volunteers from any of the children of park employees." Liv's mouth falls open in a silent "O", finally getting it and also a little in shock. "We'll run a trial version of the program, keeping in mind that all of you are underage unlike the college students this program will one day be geared toward, but we need to make sure our curriculum is good and that it will not interfere with any of our employees' regular duties."

Vic isn't the only park employee with a kid, Liv is just the only kid who visits the island on a regular basis. Most park employees with families live on the mainland, with the employees commuting by boat every day and their kids attending a school in Costa Rica built by Masrani specifically with them in mind but open to other children as well. Masrani had the school built as an extra pull for employees to come work for him, but also because he genuinely cares, wants families to be able to stay together and not have to be separated just because of work. If it wasn't for Liv mostly living with her mom, that's where she'd be going to school. She's heard it's pretty nice, having met some of the other kids before, but none of them come to the park too often, the "wow" of the park and dinosaurs having worn off for them already. They only come when there's a new attraction, and even then the pull doesn't last very long.

But Masrani wants to bring them to the park to work and to learn, more than they ever will from a tour group. Some will be genuinely interested, others only seeing it as a temporary thrill that may not last the length of the internship. Many will roll their eyes and give a flat no.

Liv is wondering what and where she needs to sign.

"How will it work exactly?" she asks instead, forcing herself to understand the particulars before jumping on board. "We're in high school. It's not exactly as flexible as college, especially for me. I'm only here on weekends every two weeks."

Claire is poised, already ready for that question. "We'll meet with each student individually and set up a work schedule. The internship will be 120 hours that are to be completed during the school year. A student can work every day, every other day, four hours a day, two hours a day, it doesn't matter so long as the full 120 hours are completed before summer vacation. You, for example, since you're only here every other weekend, could work eight or ten hours every weekend you're here and still get done on time. You could split it between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, do it all on Saturday, or any other combination. It's your choice."

"And what's in it for us? No offense, but a lot of the others won't just willingly volunteer without some kind of incentive."

"We're not looking for free labor, Liv," she assures. "That's not what the college students will be doing so that's not what you'll be doing either. Each student who participates in our trial run will receive a full scholarship to the college of his or her choice."

Liv's brow shoots upwards. "A full scholarship? As in, tuition paid in full?"

"Yes, and also that, if you're interested and this experiment is a success, a college internship will be waiting for you whenever you're ready."

Holy crap, no wonder Vic said yes to this already. Masrani is offering up college on a silver platter, for free. Even though college is still four years away, even Liv finds that offer tempting. She wants to go to college, not because her parents insist on it but because she  _wants_  to, though she still has no idea what she wants to do with her life.

But this internship…it could turn out to be her answer, one her parents may even agree with.

"Where would I work in the park?" she asks, already getting excited with all of the possibilities.

A small, secret smile upturns Claire's mouth, like she has the winning hand in a poker game but no one knows it yet. "I was actually hoping you would work in the Research Center with the Velociraptors. As I've heard from many of the trainers, you're already familiar with the safety procedures, follow them really well, and you've already taken on some of the more menial tasks. With the internship you will do that and more, getting involved with the animal training, the science behind it, and all of the business aspects."

Liv's eyes are nearly bugging out of her skull. She can work with the raptor squad. She can work with Owen.

The thought of pushing him away has been toying with her since hanging up on him. It would be so easy to do. But a part of her knows she can never do it. That's why she still wears his necklace around her neck. She's in too deep, despite everything, the fear and anxiety of him wanting to know the truth. None of that matters because the thought of being without Owen, the father she's always wanted, is now utterly unbearable. Which is why hopefully, maybe, this internship will help repair what she broke so things will go back to normal.

No wonder Vic wasn't entirely thrilled with this though. Liv  _has_  to spend time with Owen now. It's Claire's idea, her order, no decision of Liv's or Owen's or anyone else's. Vic can't stop it and he has no right to get mad about it. Maybe he'll still take his anger and frustration out on her but it won't be nearly as bad as her willingly going out of her way to spend time with Owen.

Maybe everything really will be okay.

* * *

When Owen's phone pings with an email from Claire he grins, big and dopey. Liv is all good to go with the internship plan.

The internship program wasn't really his idea. He and Barry wanted to get Liv working at the Research Center in some official capacity without it looking like Owen's idea so Vic can't accuse him of anything. They had nothing more specific than that, besides needing Claire's help because she is the only one who can set up something like that without needing Owen's implicit approval.

Claire's actually the one who came up with the rest of the plan.

Masrani apparently has been subtly "harassing" her about wanting to get students more involved with the park, to Claire's horror since she and kids of any age don't mix, but they've been toying with the idea of an internship program for months. Sure, it's supposed to be for college students, but they need a way to test it anyway and what better way than with a supply of students in such easy access? This way, Liv spending time with Owen is smokscreened by other employees' kids coming to work at the park and Liv working specifically for Owen is at the request of Claire, no one else, as far as Vic is concerned. Masrani quickly agreed with the idea of testing the program, freely supplying the money for scholarships, no problem for the eighth wealthiest man in the world.

They just needed Vic and Liv to say yes. He's not surprised Vic said yes, considering the scholarship money, even if he doesn't like his daughter hanging out with Owen.

Owen just wasn't sure what Liv would say, especially after how that phone call ended. He was afraid he had pushed too hard and she would want nothing to do with him anymore.

But she said yes. She said yes.

He owes a lot to Claire for setting this up. Which is why as soon as he reads through the email he does something he's been wanting to do for weeks: he calls her and asks her out to dinner. On a date.

Surprisingly, she says yes, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I have no idea where the whole internship idea came from, it just popped into my head and I ran with it. I'm not even sure if it's realistically plausible but, hey, fanfiction.
> 
> And Owen asked Claire out! I'm going to admit, there isn't a whole lot of Owen/Claire in this fic, I mostly focus on Owen & Liv, but I tried to get some of it in here because I did want the two of them to be together by the end of all of this.
> 
> As for the movie timeline, I know that in the movie Clair and Owen went on their date and then didn't see each other again until the events of the movie, but I didn't do that here. They're going on their date soon but it's a lot sooner than the movie gets started. But did you guys see the little hint hint to the Indominus? They never really say how old the Indominus is in the movie, just that she had an accelerated growth rate, so I'm sort of making stuff up.
> 
> Next chapter will be Friday. We've got Liv, Owen, and the raptors all together again and they get to have some fun.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	10. Hide-and-Seek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Friday! And update day! Yay!
> 
> Lol, I'm a bit excited today. Just bought myself a PS4. It's my first big purchase that I saved up for all on my own without any help. I'm waiting for Uncharted to download so I thought I'd do this now.
> 
> This chapter was fun. I like writing the raptors. *sigh* I wish most of them didn't die in the movie. Anyway, this chapter is a direct continuation of the previous chapter, same day and everything.
> 
> Okay, enough blab. Go onward and enjoy!

Liv parks her ATV outside the Research Center, excitement and fear warring inside her small frame. Excited that she's going to be working here. Frightened about what Owen thinks about it. Claire told her that Owen already knows, he was one of the first people to find out about the internship program and that Liv will be assigned to the Research Center, but she neglected to mention whether or not Owen is actually okay with the entire situation. It worries her, because she still doesn't know how he feels after their last conversation. Will there be anger? Understanding? Will he continue to push or back off like she wants him to?

She finds him waiting for her outside the paddock cage, arms crossed in front of his chest. He doesn't look angry as she approaches. But he's not smiling either, his face a carefully composed mask, like the raptors' naturally expressionless faces. She stands in front of him, head slightly bowed and looking up at him from under her lashes. She feels oddly...chastised. Like she's done something wrong and she's waiting for the punishment. Except, for once, she knows there isn't a beating, but she feels like she's disappointed Owen somehow, which is almost worse.

She wishes she could tell him, but she can't. She just can't. It echoes inside her head, over and over again, a reminder, a comfort letting her know that she didn't really do anything wrong.

But why does it still feel like she did?

"I'm sorry, Owen," she mumbles softly, repeating the last thing she said to him. The words still taste like lead on her tongue. "I'm sorry that I, um...hung up on you."

It's not what she's really sorry for, they both know that. But it's as close as she's going to get.

Owen stares at her, gaze so intense that she has to look away, like he's trying to will the truth out of her just by looking at her. She's stronger than that though. She has to be, with this secret. The secret of her mutation.

No one can ever know. And if Owen hates her for not telling him, then so be it.

Instead, he reaches out and drags her towards him in a tight hug, a lot like the first time when he found out no one knew about her birthday. And she's just as stunned, unable to do anything besides stand unmoving.

"It's okay, Liv," Owen whispers against the top of her head. "It's okay. You don't need to apologize. You don't have to say anything. You don't...you don't have to  _tell_  me. And I'm sorry if I pushed you, it's just...I want you to know that if you do ever want to talk, I'm here. I will always be here for you and I will do whatever it takes to help you. But only when you're ready, okay?"

Hearing those words, it should be a relief. It should be a huge weight off her shoulders, to not have to worry about Owen asking questions anymore and needing to skirt around him and the issue.

Instead, her chest grows tight with tears. And they're not tears of relief. She's sad, for some weird reason. Sad that he's not going to be bugging her about it anymore, and she doesn't understand why. So she wraps her arms around his chest and just hangs on, burying her face in his shirt. His hold tightens, and they just stay there like that for a long moment, because even in her uncertainty and confusion, she is enormously grateful that he is still with her. That he didn't decide to leave her or hate her like she feared.

"Are we good?" she asks, needing to hear it. "We're good now?"

"We'll always be good, Liv," he says, leaning back so he can wipe her tears away. He smiles down at her, small and genuine. "No matter what, we will always be good."

She smiles back. Looks like things will be going back to normal and she worried for nothing. She gets to keep her secret with no bad feelings left between them. Things like this are never this easy with Vic. He doesn't know how to forgive and forget, while Owen does it so easily, like it's common sense.

Is this how it's supposed to be?

"So," Liv says, stepping back and wiping at her face to make sure all of the tears are gone, "you up for this whole internship thing?"

Owen grins. "Absolutely. When do you start?"

"School starts this week so I'll start the next time I'm here. I figured I'd work about ten hours every weekend I'm on the island. Should get me done in plenty of time. I'll save Friday for finishing homework, then split the time between Saturday and Sunday."

"Sounds like a plan." He slings an arm around her shoulders and they head towards the Research Center. "Now, let's go talk about your duties."

* * *

Turns out, her duties aren't all that different from what she was already doing, at least, not for the first weekend. She mucks out the stables, helps prep the raptors' food, both live and dead. She cleans equipment and keeps the Research Center tidy and neat.

Then, for the second weekend, they start adding to her workload.

It's nothing much at first. Kind of boring, really. She helps fill out reports. The researchers each have notes that they take every day on their observations of the Velociraptors, things that the raptors are doing they deem interesting, how they react to commands, are they starting to respond or reject the training techniques, things like that. They give Liv the job of summarizing their notes for the weekly reports.

Yeah, boring.

But she is learning. Like how to take care of such dangerous animals. How to raise and nurture them. How the mixture of DNA affects how the raptors act. She's learning how they've adapted the methods of training from a bunch of different animals, from lions to shepherd dogs. Some of the adaptations work really well, like the clicker Owen uses. And then others, not so much.

The raptors  _hate_  that metal whistle. With a passion. Every time they even see it they start hissing and biting.

All in all, she enjoys the internship. She's not sure how the other students are doing with it, she's the only one assigned to the Research Center and hardly ever goes anywhere else when on the island so she never sees any of the others, but she likes the work, even the boring stuff, and it's never too much to where it interferes with her school work.

It makes her look forward to college, just so that she can do the full internship.

What makes the entire internship...remarkable...is when they get her involved with the actual training.

Saturday morning on her third weekend working the internship she gets to the Research Center bright and early. The night before, Owen asked her to arrive at eight because they have a long day ahead of them. She doesn't know what they're doing, but by the ecstatic grin he was wearing, it's going to be good.

Opening herself up to the world, she quickly finds the bright red aura she knows as Owen, standing on the catwalk. A quick search shows Vic nowhere in sight and she sighs in relief, heading for the paddock stairs. Vic still isn't happy she's interning with Owen and he comes out to the Research Center sometimes to watch the training sessions. She knows it doesn't only have to do with her but whatever plans he has for the raptors. Still, his presence always makes her nervous, no matter that she has every right to be around Owen right now.

She finds Owen sitting in her chair in the corner, drinking from a cup of coffee and leafing through a leather-bound notebook that he writes his research notes in. The sound of her boots clunking on the metal catwalk makes him look up and he smiles when he sees her.

"Hey, Liv," he says cheerfully, too cheerful for eight o' clock in the morning. He's such a morning person and she is…not. "Sleep well?"

A yawn pulls from her mouth as if to answer for her, making her jaw stretch big and wide. He laughs and she glares at him out of one eye while she tries to rub the sleepiness out of the other with the back of a knuckle. "I slept fine," she mumbles tiredly. "Wish I could have gotten more of it though. Why'd you drag me out here so early? It better be good or else I'm going back to bed."

"Aw, come on, Liv, eight isn't early. This is prime time to get things done."

"This is prime time for sleep."

He rolls his eyes. "I swear, you'd sleep the entire day away if you could."

She smiles brightly, completely unashamed. "Yep. I would. So, seriously, what are we doing today? You sounded excited last night."

His smile spreads to a lazy grin and he knocks back the rest of his coffee before answering. "We're doing more training today."

"O-kay," she says, drawing out the word, not understanding. They've done training before during her internship. Usually she just sits in her chair and watches, jotting down her own observations in a spiral-bound notebook. So what makes this time any different?

Owen stands, stretching his arms above his head, and then casually walks towards the stairs, calling over his shoulder, "You're helping."

It takes a moment for the words to really register and then she's racing after him, taking the stairs down two at a time as her questions come out rapid-fire, "What am I helping with? What are we doing? Am I helping you teach them a new command? Tossing them rats? Using the clicker?"

"Slow down, slow down," Owen chuckles, pushing the doors to the Research Center open. He motions for her to take the seat in front of his desk and she sits, him sitting across from her. He riffles through his notebook until he finds the page he's looking for and shows it to her. It outlines the plans for a training exercise entitled "Hide-and-Seek". "You're right, I want you to help out with a new training exercise we're trying today."

"Hide-and-seek? What do you want me to do, hide in the bushes until they find me? Cause I know they like me and all but they still might like a taste."

"No, of course not. It's a scent exercise that'll play off of their hunting instincts. We're going to put them in their stalls and then I want you to hold up something for them to sniff. They'll take in the thing's scent and then you'll hide it in the paddock."

She nods in understanding. "So the thing is the hider and the raptors are the seekers, using their noses to find it. Do you think they'll really go after it after just one sniff? What if they decide not to bother or don't understand that you want them to find it?"

"That's why we're starting out with food, different meats and things like that. It'll be stuff that they'll actually want to find once they realize it's in their paddock somewhere. We make sure we give them praise each time, let them know they did good, and then we can start branching out to other things for them to find."

"Sounds like fun. What am I hiding?"

Barry comes out from the back carrying two buckets, plopping them down on Owen's desk with heavy thumps. A foul odor wafts up from them, making Liv's nose wrinkle in disgust. "What are in those?" she asks.

"Oh, just a healthy sampling of meat," Barry answers, shrugging a shoulder casually. "Rats, lizards, pig, bird, one of the men even caught a monkey. Everything a growing raptor needs. Delicious, no?"

"If you say so. But please tell me I get to wear gloves. Last time I touched something dead, my hands smelled like rat for the rest of the day."

Barry rolls his eyes, a smile tugging at his mouth, and reaches into his back pocket, pulling out his heavy work gloves and tossing them to her.

"Thanks," she says appreciatively, tugging them on. They're really big for her, about twice as big as her hands, but she makes it work.

Owen clap his hands together excitedly. "Alright, let's get started."

They head back out to the paddock again, Barry falling in behind them with the buckets. The other handlers are using catch polls to herd the raptors into the stables, the raptors complaining the entire way. Once they're inside, someone pushes the button to lock them in, each of the raptors in their individual stalls at the back of the stables along the outer wall so they have nowhere to go. Owen leads them around to the side of the paddock where the outer doors for the stables are in the side wall, sort of like where racing horses begin before they're released out on the track except these raptors are definitely not getting out. They want to though. They're banging against the side of the metal walls, agitated and obviously not happy with being trapped. Owen goes to each stall, whispering to his squad and they calm down a little but they still don't like this

"Alright, let's be quick about this," Owen says, loud enough for everyone to hear him. "They stay in there too long they're just going to be mad at us and not want to train."

He reaches into a bucket and hands her one of the slices of meat, a piece of rat that will be fairly familiar to the raptors. Liv goes to each of the stall doors, holding the meat up against the holed grate. The first one is Charlie, wiggling around in her stall, wanting out. Liv smiles at her, hoping Charlie understands that she doesn't need to be afraid. She holds the meat closer and Charlie snorts, sounding a lot like a horse, and takes a big whiff. Liv then goes from raptor to raptor, allowing them each to scent their "prey".

"Okay," Owen says, "that should do it. Hopefully. Go on into the paddock, Liv. Hide it wherever you want and don't be afraid of being too hard. Bury it, put it up in a tree, stick it in a bush, whatever you want. Remember, they're supposed to work for their treat."

She nods and circles back around again to the big paddock doors already open and ready for her. She steps inside, apprehensive, but the raptors are locked up tight right now. They're not going to leap out of the bushes coming after her, though a part of her is still convinced that they would never intentionally hurt her.

Moving through the foliage, she tries to find a good place to hide the meat. After careful consideration, she tosses it into a clump of tall grass, the meat plopping between the blades like a stone in a river, completely obscuring it from view. She then quickly exits the paddock, the doors closing behind her, and goes up to the catwalk in order to watch beside Owen.

"Alright!" he calls out. "Let 'em out!"

The stall doors open and the raptors burst out with loud screeches. They aggressively snap at each other, obviously still really agitated that they were forced into their stalls, but then Blue's nostril's flare and her head swivels up to look at them, looking first at Owen and then at Liv. The other three, following their beta's gaze, look up at her as well.

"Crap," Liv whispers, keeping her voice low so the raptors won't hear her even though it doesn't really matter. "They scented me, too. Do you think it'll mess up the training exercise?"

"I don't know," Owen says, just as quietly. "Let's just wait and see for now."

Delta's head perks up and she scents the air. She chitters at the others, Blue chitters back, and then they all let out screeches as they dart off into the trees. The trainers are all spread out along the catwalk so they can keep an eye on the raptors and make sure they actually find the hidden meat, and after a few minutes one of them calls out that Delta found it and ate it. Liv shares a grin with Owen and then he lets out a loud whistle, calling the raptors to him. They gather below him immediately, shifting around on their feet like overly-excited dogs.

Owen depresses the clicker several times, the sound letting the raptors know they did something right. "Good. Very good, ladies." He then reaches into the bucket at his feet and throws each of the raptors a piece of rat as a reward.

Liv tugs at her gloves, pulling them back up from where they slipped. "So, which one should we try next?"

* * *

Once the raptors catch on that they're hiding food in the paddock for them to find, things start to go faster and a lot more smoothly. The raptors actually start to work together trying to find the hidden meat, splitting up in the paddock and calling to the others once it's found. The trainers didn't expect such teamwork and all around the catwalk Liv can see them furiously jotting down notes. They know raptors are pack animals, but they figured considering their still relatively young age that they'd be fighting over the food, each one trying to get it before the others, like they've done with other exercises in the past.

The raptors are learning and growing, far faster than anticipated.

By the time they're finished it's five in the afternoon. Everyone's tired, even the raptors since they just quietly slink off into the jungle instead of running, but it's a good kind of tired, accomplished. They did a lot of work today and it went well.

"We should celebrate," Owen says as they're putting away the leftover meat in the freezer at the back of the Research Center. "You know, go out to The Watering Hole. What do you say?"

"That, my friend, sounds like an excellent idea," Barry says and several of the other trainers agree as well.

Owen then slings an arm around her shoulders. "How about you, Liv? Care to join us?"

Liv bites anxiously on her lip. The Watering Hole is a restaurant out in the park. It has good food, hamburgers, wings, ribs, and the like, but it is very expensive. "No, I don't think I will. I don't have any money."

"Nonsense, it's on me."

She shakes her head rapidly, trying to refuse. "N-No! I can't do that."

"Sure you can. I'll let you gorge on overpriced burgers and fries while you let me tell you my woes."

"You're woes?"

Owen just sighs deeply, hanging his head. She thinks he's being a little dramatic but then she sees real sadness when his eyes lift to hers.

Before she can asks what's wrong Barry says bluntly, "Claire broke up with him."

"She did not!" Owen squawks defensively. "If anything,  _I_  broke up with  _her._ And can you even call it breaking up when we just had one date?"

"Yes, you can."

"You went out with Ms. Dearing?" Liv asks in surprise. She...can't really see Owen and Claire...together. They don't seem compatible at all, although they do say opposites attract.

Well, they were attracted, but it apparently didn't last very long.

Still,  _Owen_  and  _Claire._

"Alright, you win. This I've got to hear."

* * *

The Watering Hole is a cozy combination of a big-chain restaurant and corner bar, all decorated to look like they're sitting in the middle of the forest. All of the walls are painted jungle murals with dinosaur heads peering out from between the branches and the tables look like there are fossils embedded in the glass tabletop. The raptor trainers head to the back of the restaurant straight away, pushing together three tables so they all have a place to sit.

Liv looks at the arrangement a little nervously but Owen just pulls out a chair for her, gesturing for her to sit, and when she does he sits to her right and Barry sits on her left. She gives them a grateful nod and then sinks back into her chair, allowing the conversation to envelope her as she eats her food.

She remains the quiet observer throughout most of the meal, content to just listen to the others talk. Despite being a common presence at the Research Center, especially now what with the internship, she still doesn't know many of them besides Owen and Barry. But being quite is something she's used to and doesn't mind.

That is, until Owen starts to tell them about his date.

"So, I asked Claire out, I think it was eight weeks ago now? It was right before the internships started. I gave her my number and told her to call me to let me know when would be good for her. Instead, I get this professional email looking just like any other email I get from her saying the next Friday will do. But then, Thursday night, she cancels, through email, saying she had some business dinner she had to go to or something."

Barry shakes his head, taking another sip of his soda. "That's cold."

"I know! And that's not the only time she does it. She cancels on me  _three times,_ all through email. Finally, we got together last night. We met here, at The Watering Hole, and she looked  _really good._ " Liv rolls her eyes at the grin on his face as he remembers. "But when she sees what I'm wearing she just gets this pinched look on her face."

"What were you wearing?" Liv asks.

He shrugs. "T-shirt and board shorts."

She arches a bemused brow at him. "Board shorts? Really?"

"What, it's South America! It's hot! I'm not about to wear a suit or something out here."

Liv plops several fries in her mouth to suppress her laughter.

_Men._

" _Anyway,"_ Owen continues, "so we sit down, look through the menu, and then she pulls out this itinerary. She planned out our entire evening, how long it was going to last, what we were going to do, down to the exact minute, like she had to squeeze me into her schedule in order to have time for a date."

Liv snorts. "That definitely sounds like Ms. Dearing. She's so organized it's scary. Good for running a theme park but I have to admit, using it for a date is a little weird."

"I know, right? But I let it go and we order our food and things are good for a while, you know? The conversation is good, we're both having a good time, at least I thought we were, and when we're done I don't quite want it to end yet so I invite her back to my place for some tequila. You know what she says? She refuses because tequila isn't allowed in her diet!"

Owen falls back in his chair with a petulant huff as the others lament on the bad turnout of the date. Meanwhile, Liv has to bite her lip in order not to break out in peals of laughter. He looks so much like a child right now! And, really, alcohol isn't good for any diet. They call it beer belly for a reason.

"What happened after that?" Barry asks.

Owen sighs. "We parted ways without planning a second date or anything. We could both read between the lines; the night kind of failed and we're not going out again."

It may have been mutual but he still looks really bummed about it. He must have really liked her, and Liv can't help but wonder if he  _wouldn't_  still like to try again.

A hand drops heavily on her shoulder and she tenses, staring straight ahead at the wall. There's a painting of a Velociraptor, teeth bared, and all of a sudden she wishes Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo were here.

"Olivia," Vic says behind her, his hand squeezing her shoulder tighter, "what are you doing here?"

"We had a good day training today, sir," she says, clearly and politely. "The trainers invited me out for dinner in order to celebrate."

His hand tightens even more. "It's late. You should be getting back to your room. And the rest of you," he says, addressing the others, "don't you have reports you should be working on if you had such a good day?"

"Relax, Vic," Owen says, leaning back in his chair casually. But by the way his crossed arms bulge and his jaw tics, he's anything but relaxed himself. "Our weekly reports aren't due for another two days. There's nothing wrong with taking a night off. And it's only six. Liv's curfew is for eight. That's two hours, plenty of time for her to get back to the hotel."

It's silent behind her, but not the comfortable kind. She wishes she could turn around and look at her father's face but she's afraid to move. Instead, she branches out with her mutant abilities, sensing the auras that are behind her. There are five others standing with Vic, auras she recognizes as members of the Asset Containment Unit. The guys from the ACU are the only ones who actually like her father. They must be here to have a night out as well. They like to all get together, sometimes even going out to the mainland to find an actual bar that's opened until the early morning hours. Which means he most likely won't drag her out of here right now to discipline her back in their suite. But a night out for him usually involves alcohol at one point.

And Vic can be a pretty mean drunk.

One of the ACU team members whispers something in Vic's ear and he grunts in response. The five of them go off to sit at a table while Vic's grip on her loosens a little.

"I want you to head back to the suite, now, Olivia," Vic orders. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," she replies, trying to keep the relief out of her voice. If he stays out relatively late tonight and she can avoid him in the morning, good chances are that she can avoid his belt.

"Good." He lets go, going to join his "buddies" and Liv sinks in her chair a little.

That could have just as easily gone another way, especially since he caught her out hanging with Owen when it has nothing to do with the internship.

Owen leans close to her, keeping his eyes on Vic who is no longer paying attention to them, and whispers, "Hey, Liv."

"I'm sorry, Owen," she whispers back. "I'm going to have to go."

"No, no, that's fine. I understand. I just wanted to remind you that I'm only a call away, alright? No matter what, I'll come if you need me."

She glances over her shoulder at Vic, sees that he's still not looking anywhere near her, and gives Owen a quick hug. "Thanks, Owen."

She doesn't know if she'll ever take him up on that offer, but it's nice to know she has the option all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My headcannon is that Owen and Claire, at least for a moment, actually enjoyed the date, that's why he invited her back to his bungalow, but ultimately they were both too stubborn in their differences to keep trying. I don't know, that's how I saw it. Because in the movie they still like each other, even if they're in denial up until Owen finally kisses her.
> 
> And then there's fun raptor times. I liked doing the hide-and-seek, taking what I know from the movie and trying to come up with the actual training exercise. It was fun.
> 
> Next chapter, another one of my favorites. It directly follows this one and we get some fluff, a little bit of angst, some mutant abilities, and...
> 
> Something awakens...
> 
> We are getting closer and closer to the movie, my friends.
> 
> Alright, hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	11. Evil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry. I know a lot of you must be hating me right now, making you wait like this. I completely forgot about updating and I'm sorry I'm late. It's past midnight where I am and I was supposed to update Sunday. I kinda got wrapped up in my new PS4 and the adventures of Nathan Drake. Uncharted is an awesome game series and I'm having a hard time putting it down. That's no excuse for forgetting to update, though, so I'm doing it now before I go to bed.
> 
> So, go onward and enjoy!

Liv doesn't get the text until much later in the night: Vic is going out to the mainland with his buddies. It makes her both relieved and irritated. Relieved, because it means he and his buddies will probably stay the night on the mainland and there's a good chance she won't see him again until right before she has to go back to Miami. Irritated, because it also means she could have stayed with Owen and the other raptor trainers at The Watering Hole longer if he had just gone sooner.

At least he's responsible enough to let her know he's going to be gone though.

But, hey, she has a worry-free night, so she takes advantage. She takes a very long, very hot shower and then ques up a movie in the living room, relaxing in a way she so rarely can while at Vic's place. She doesn't have to speak and act as if she's walking on nails, like any wrong move will leave her bleeding. She can just  _be,_  for a little while, and she quickly finds herself growing sleepy from the feeling of absolute peace. At around ten she decides to call it quits and heads to bed, hoping for a restful night.

She doesn't get one.

* * *

The labs of Jurassic World are cold, sterile, lacking all warmth or joy for a place whose sole purpose is to create new life. And it is new, in every sense of the word. The dinosaurs the scientists create are not the same dinosaurs that walked the earth millions of years ago. These ones are altered, each and every one of them, in some way or another, splicing genes of different modern animals in order to fill in the gaps of the genomes they find. The dinosaurs Masrani has commissioned them to create are not purebred. All of them are hybrids, mutants.

But their newest creations. They are  _true_  hybrids, beings the world has never seen before in all its years, beings  _man_ has made, not God. And they are about to awaken.

Dr. Wu watches the two eggs with proud expectation. They have been jiggling around on the table for several minutes now but neither of thedinosaurs have broken the shell yet. However, it is only a matter of time. These are his finest creations, the accumulation of all his research, his life's work. Everything he's ever learned and discovered about genes are amassed into these two eggs.

And they will be beautiful, ferocious.

Indomitable.

The Indominus Rex.

The first egg breaks, a tiny, clawed hand slipping out. The second egg breaks, finding it more difficult than her sister. The first hatchling then widens the hole she created, and in that hole a large, slitted eye blinks, gazing upon the world for the first time.

* * *

Liv awakens with a gasp, her eyes flying open to a world of color. The auras are gripping at her, forcing her to see, forcing her mutant abilities to the forefront in a way they never have before. They're pulsing erratically, all of them, human, insect, plant, animal, everyone on some basic level is sensing something whether they consciously notice it or not, some shift in the world, their instincts crying out in horror and fear and only she can hear them. It's a cacophony, like a sharp ringing in her head that doesn't go away even when she covers her ears. It just gets louder and louder, all of the auras getting jumbled, but they speak the same message and it is clear.

Something is not right, not right,  _not right_.

And then a flash of bright red-orange flares in her mind, a new aura, just born, but bursting with intelligence far brighter than should be possible for an animal. And she knows it's an animal based on the color, but it is so disturbingly close to a red human shade that Liv shudders. Another joins it not long after, not as bright, subdued in a way that usually means the animal will one day end up prey.

Their auras both scream  _wrongness_. This is why the world is crying out, these two new lives, and it scares her to her core as she looks upon them.

Because she swears they can see her, too.

Without conscious thought, she moves, throwing herself from her bed. Pulling on a jacket to cover the tank top and flannel pants she wears as pajamas, she quickly grabs only the essentials. The key card for the suite goes between her teeth as she scoops up her VIP bracelet and keys to her ATV, then stuffs all of it in her jacket pocket.

She runs out the door without bothering to lock it, not realizing until she's halfway down the stairs that the rhythmic slaps of skin on metal echoing around her, chasing her, are her bare feet and she forgot shoes. She doesn't care, just keeps running, running from the auras all screaming for her attention, running from the feeling of those eyes on her.

Never has she been more scared in her life, not even of Vic. At least with Vic she knows she'll heal from whatever he does. This…this is something dangerous and powerful enough to scare the entire island. If they can see her, then what will they do if they find her? What will they do to everyone on the island? Based on what she feels, even though they are only babies right now, these new lives will grow to reign sorrow and destruction down on everyone they touch if given the chance. They're not looking upon the world with innocent curiosity. Even a Velociraptor comes into the world unable to hurt a fly. But these creatures, they're wondering if the world will break for them. The hostility they're giving off absolutely  _terrifies_ her, enough to where if Vic had been home she would have been very close to seeking him out for comfort.

But he's not home. She's alone, so she hops on her ATV, revs the vehicle to life, and speeds down the service road to the only person she's ever felt safe with.

She doesn't know what time it is but it's still night out, the darkness appearing ominous beyond the reach of the headlights, as if those two new auras are right behind a tree instead of halfway across the island. Every swaying branch, every shifting shadow, is some monster trying to grab her and she swerves along the road. The tears blurring her eyes aren't helping either. She tries to blink them away but more come.

The screams are starting to hurt. All of the dinosaurs are awake now, she can see their auras moving around in the paddocks, unable to lay still and sleep with the threat of this new, unknown danger looming over them. They're all too afraid and their fear is just feeding her own.

It's the longest twenty minutes of her life, the drive out to Owen's bungalow, but she makes it, skidding to a stop in his yard and flying towards his trailer door, practically running into it. She bangs on it with her fist, over and over again.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Owen's muffled voice filters out through the door, sounding groggy from lack of sleep, but she still doesn't stop knocking until the door actually opens.

* * *

Owen has been tossing and turning all night, something not sitting right in the back of his head. His father always said Owen has really good instincts, he always knew when a bad storm was coming, always knew when it was best to get the horses into their stables and knew how long they had before it hit. It feels a lot like that now, like something is brewing just over the horizon and it's coming right for them. The question is, when?

And will he be able to keep those who matter to him safe?

Incessant knocking on his front door pulls him from his thoughts and he groans, looking at the clock. It's 3:30 in the morning and he hasn't slept a wink. This better be an emergency or he's going to feed whoever it is to the raptors.

He rolls out of bed, pulling up sweatpants over his boxers and tugging a t-shirt on. The banging has yet to let up, a constant thumping like stampeding Gallimimuses, and it's combining with his tiredness to give him a headache.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," he grumbles, trying to get them to stop as he shuffles his way towards the door but whoever it is just keeps going. He opens the door and leans against it, trying to will his exhausted mind to cooperate. He scratches the back of his head and blearily peers down at Liv, also in her pajamas, and looking like she's running from the T-Rex. "Liv, what are you-oof!"

Liv crashes into him, wrapping her skinny arms around his middle like her life depends on it. He just stands there for a minute, arms hovering around her as he tries to understand what's going on, but then he realizes she's shaking. No, not just shaking, the front of his shirt is getting wet, her tears forming a cold patch on his chest. He wraps his arms around her, holding her close and making soothing sounds in her ear. He tries not to panic but his heart is racing, mind instantly going to all the worst places.

Why is Liv crying? Why did she come all the way out here in the middle of the night? Did Vic do something to her? Has he hurt her?

If Vic has been hurting her, all this time, and this is Liv coming clean, he's going to hogtie him and feed him to the raptors himself.

"Liv," Owen says calmly, taking her by the shoulders and pushing her away a little so he can see her face. It's tear-stained, her eyes red around the edges and still leaking. "Liv, honey, I need you to tell me what's wrong, okay? Why are you so upset?" She takes in a few sobbing breaths, trying to calm herself down but it's not working very well. He cups her face between his hands, stroking her tears away with his thumbs. "It's okay, honey. You're safe here; you're safe with me. You can tell me."

She closes her eyes, gripping his wrists in her hands, and then says, "Nightmare." She takes in a deep, steadying breath and opens her eyes. There's such deep, dark fear in them, he can see it clearly even though she's only illuminated by moonlight. "I-I had a nightmare."

Owen understands she's still just a kid, but can a single nightmare really make her this scared?

"Where's your dad?" Owen asks. "Did you tell him about it?" She shakes her head. "Did he say you could come out here?"

"He's not at home," she says quietly. "He went with his buddies out to the mainland."

He can tell that's definitely the truth and he releases the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. So this isn't really Vic's doing. Though, if he has been abusing Liv then there could be some really deep mental scars that could cause night terrors. He wipes a hand roughly over his face. This is so messed up. A part of him wishes this had been about Vic and he could finally get Liv away from him, but he can't, she's still stuck with that worthless father of hers who's probably abusing her. And apparently thinks it's okay to leave a fourteen-year-old girl alone on an island full of dinosaurs. This is his custody weekend. If he's not going to take care of her, then why does he insist on her still visiting him instead of just letting her mom have full custody?

But that's not important right now. Liv is important. She's had a nightmare, she's scared, and she has no one else to turn to.

Except him. She came to him.

He puts an arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. "Come on. Let's get you inside."

* * *

When Liv takes the first step to walk over the bungalow's threshold she hisses in pain, realizing for the first time that her feet hurt. There's a stinging pain in both of them and now that she's noticed the pain flares in intensity.

"What's wrong?" Owen asks worriedly, looking her over for signs of injury.

"My feet," she says, taking another limping step and this time has to bite down on her lip to keep from crying out. "They hurt real bad."

His eyes go down and then widen. "Jeez, Liv, you came out here without any shoes?" Before she can take another step he lifts her up into his arms, one around her shoulders, the other beneath her knees, and looks at the floor just inside his doorway. "Crap, there's blood."

In two long strides Owen carries her to the dining area and carefully sets her on top of the table with her legs dangling over the side. He turns on the lights and Liv raises a hand to shield her face, squinting against the sudden brightness.

In the light she can now see a smudge of red on the side of her right foot.

Owen kneels down to get a better look, gently lifting her foot with a hand at the back of her ankle. He winces in sympathy. "Yeah, that's pretty bad." He inspects the left one and shakes his head. "They're both scratched up pretty good, there's a lot of dirt, too, but your right foot has something stuck in it. It looks like a sliver of wood, maybe a small stick."

Well, that explains the stabbing pain. She breathes in deeply through her nose, trying to keep herself calm. And her body from automatically healing itself. She needs to get Owen to stop looking at her feet as fast as possible before he notices any of the wounds starting to close up. The easiest way to do that would probably be to just let him take care of them right away and besides, she needs that stick to come out so that wound can heal too.

But what if she can't keep from healing and he notices?

She grips the side of the table in determination. "Just make it quick."

"Liv, you need a doctor," he insists.

"No!" If she goes to a doctor, especially if it ends up being anyone other than the one who already knows, then her mutant ability will definitely get noticed. Not to mention Vic will definitely find out she hurt herself, which he will not be happy about. "Please, Owen, no doctors. Just…do it yourself. Please."

He sighs deeply, closing his eyes and rubbing a thumb between them, but he nods. "It won't be easy."

"I know." She grips the table more tightly. "Just do it."

She's been through worse before.

"Alright," he says, obviously not happy about it, but he stands to gather supplies, the first aid kit from the bathroom, a bowl filled with warm water, and a couple of towels. He pulls on the latex gloves from the kit and then looks her in the eye. "I don't have anything to numb the pain." He pulls over a chair and sits, lifting her foot to place it on his knee. "This is gonna hurt. A lot."

She nods, wishing to tell him to just hurry up but knowing that won't help anything. Instead, he continues staring at her, gently stroking his fingers along the top of her foot. She's just starting to relax when he suddenly moves, swiftly pulling the stick out before she can register what just happened. The pain spikes and she gasps, closing her eyes tight, but she doesn't make a sound, doesn't even move. She moves herself away from the pain, instead focusing inward on her own aura and trying to keep it from healing.

"Good news, it was small," Owen says and she hears the sound of dripping water and then a wet cloth touches the sole of her foot, stinging slightly as he cleans the wounds. "I don't think you need stitches for anything. I'm just going to clean them, apply some peroxide to keep them from getting infected, and then wrap them up."

She nods to show she understands and just keeps breathing deeply, keeping a tight hold on her aura. It's uncomfortable, not allowing her instincts to react and her body to heal. She's literally suppressing a part of herself and it's difficult, like holding a hunk of ice that keeps trying to slip from her hands. She's never actually done this before, tried to force her own aura to do something for her, though this isn't something she'd normally  _want_  to do. She likes being able to heal right away, usually it's a good thing, but right now it's not.

Right now she's struggling between being found out she's a mutant and keeping it all a secret.

She doesn't loosen her hold until gauze is wrapped firmly around both her feet and Owen pats her knee. "All done. It'll take a good week, maybe two, for all of it to heal but there shouldn't be any scarring so long as you take good care of them and don't do too much walking. I'll take another look before you leave tomorrow. Make sure nothing's infected."

Finally letting go, she lets out a relieved sigh, feeling her aura bursting free and acting as it wants to, healing her wounds. "That won't be necessary," she says, the pain already subsiding to an annoying itch. There'll be nothing left but smooth skin in under a minute.

Owen just arches a brow at her as he cleans up, not saying anything, though he doesn't have to. He's going to check on her feet again whether she wants him to or not. Or, at least, he'll try. She'll have to slip away from him somehow because there's no way she's letting him look at her "miraculously" healed feet.

When everything's all packed away, Owen gets her a glass of water and some aspirin to help with the "pain". She takes it dutifully, knowing this little bit won't hurt anything even though she's completely fine now, and only then does he sit back down in the chair in front of her, leaning his forearms on his thighs so he can look up at her and see her face clearly. "So, mind telling me what had you running out here so fast in the middle of the night to where you didn't even bother to put shoes on?"

She looks down at her hands, twisting her fingers together in her lap, and avoiding his eyes. The pain had pushed it to the back of her mind but she can still hear those screams, though they're nowhere near as loud now. The world is quick to adapt, it's necessary, especially out in the wild, but that doesn't mean the auras are calm. They've simply accepted the fact that there is something new and different and dangerous and it isn't going to go away. There's no one to take care of it, no matter how much they cry out.

That doesn't make the fear any less palpable. She can feel it, like a constant pressure at the base of her skull, and it sets her teeth on edge.

"Like I said, it was a nightmare," she says quietly, falling back on her original excuse. She feels a little ashamed, not telling him the truth. Something bad has happened, shouldn't she tell someone? But doing that would mean outing herself as a mutant so she bites her tongue and plays off her shame. If it had just been a nightmare she would feel silly for coming all the way out here to bother Owen in the middle of the night, especially since she hurt herself when there is nothing to really fear. She shakes her head and lets out a puff of air that could almost be called a laugh. "It's stupid. I shouldn't have come."

She tries to slip from the table, moving to leave, but Owen stops her, folding his big hands around hers. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's not stupid. Nightmares aren't fun no matter how old you are."

She looks up at him, finally meeting his eyes. "Do you ever get nightmares?"

His face falls a little, old hurts and old ghosts shifting in his eyes. "Yeah, I do. Did and saw a lot of bad things while in the Navy. They don't always like to leave me alone at night." He rubs his thumbs across her hands and gives them a squeeze. "Wanna tell me what your nightmare was about?"

She shakes her head. "It's silly, especially compared to the kind of nightmares you must get."

"Hey, don't be like that," he says, voice serious. "Don't compare nightmares. All nightmares are serious, doesn't matter if you're a kid or an adult. It's just that, as an adult, you have a better idea of what it is exactly you're afraid of and not just some mysterious monster under your bed."

She nods thoughtfully, unsure how to proceed. She knows her fear isn't childish since it is very real, not a dream, but she doesn't know how else to tell him about it without giving too much away. "It's not a monster under my bed exactly," she says, thinking each word out carefully before she speaks. "It's more like a monster hiding in the shadows. I couldn't see it, I couldn't even hear it, but I could  _feel_  it. I  _knew_ it was there, watching me in the darkness. And I know…I  _knew_  it wanted to hurt me and the whole island, just to see what would happen if it did."

Owen frowns. "The Velociraptors aren't giving you nightmares, are they? Cause you don't have to work with them if you're scared of them."

"No, no!" she denies vehemently. "No, the raptor squad doesn't scare me, they never have. And, really, I don't even know if it  _was_  a dinosaur in my dream, just that it was something…evil."

Although, really, what else could it be but a dinosaur? It's not like there's anything else being born on this island that could be considered unnatural. The scientists here could rival Frankenstein with their genetically modified animals. Things have been fine until now, they only tweaked genetic makeups a little bit, only what was absolutely necessary to make sure the dinosaurs survived. But now they've crossed a line. The only question is, how far past have they gone?

Owen takes her face between his hands, forcing her to look at him. "It'll be okay, Liv, alright? I won't let anything hurt you. I promise."

And he's being completely sincere and honest, not belittling or treating her fears as childish. He thinks this is just a nightmare but he's still taking it seriously, and she wonders, how much does Owen feel of what's going on? Does he know something's wrong? Are his instincts screaming at him? Human instincts aren't anywhere near as sensitive as animals' but that doesn't mean humans are completely oblivious. Does he suspect that there really is something out there that might hurt her?

Would he be able to protect her?

"Can I stay with you tonight?" she whispers.

He smiles softly, brushing hair away from her face and then placing a kiss to the top of her head. "Of course. Come on, let's go crash on the couch. Fall asleep to the T.V."

"Sounds good." Sleep certainly isn't going to come on its own, not after all of that, but maybe it will after a while. She lets Owen pick her up, since she's still supposed to be injured and not walking, and they sit together on the couch, Liv curled into his side.

It's easy to pretend it's safe here, with Owen. He makes her feel like nothing can touch her, like he's standing between her and the world and nothing's ever going to get past him, he won't let it. She knows that's not true, that he can't protect her from everything, maybe not even this looming threat. But she knows he's willing to try and he'll try with everything he has.

Like a parent should.

"Hey, Owen?"

"Yeah, Liv?"

"Thanks. For being here. For doing the things my dad should do."

It's the closest she's come to admitting how she feels, that she wishes he were her dad, that she  _thinks_  of him as her dad. She doesn't know if he knows, doesn't know if he feels the same, if he considers her like his daughter, which is why she's always been afraid to voice it, even now still not quite saying it.

But she can hear the way his breath hitches at her words.

He tightens his hold on her. "What your dad does...he's an idiot for treating you like that. You deserve so much more." He places another kiss in her hair. "And I plan on giving you all that I can. Always, okay? I'll always be here for you."

She smiles, snuggling closer. Yeah. Just like a dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I guess this is technically the start of the movie since the opening scene was of the Indominus Rexes being born but the rest of the movie won't be coming for a few chapters yet. They never say how old the Indominus is when everything happens so I'm kind of making it up.
> 
> I love Owen and Liv in this chapter. They're just so cute. And how many of you thought Liv was going to get caught as a mutant? Sorry, but it's not quite yet.
> 
> But it is soon. Very soon.
> 
> Next chapter will be Tuesday. I promise to actually get it up on the day this time.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	12. Mutant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'm making doubly sure that I don't forget to update today by doing it this morning. It also helps that I finished the Uncharted Trilogy so I don't have anything to distract me now. I'm glad you all liked the last chapter though. The changes I made to the movie started right there with the Indominus, besides Liv's existence of course, and they're just going to keep coming.
> 
> This chapter, though, it has something you all have been waiting for. I'm sure you can guess what it is.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Things continue on as normal, at least relatively.

Liv keeps Owen from finding out about her healing ability after getting hurt. It turns out to not be that difficult. They wake up late, considering they didn't fall asleep until maybe four in the morning, but that makes them almost late for work at the Research Center. They rush through getting ready, especially since Owen insists on driving her back to the hotel himself so she can get changed and make sure she uses her feet as little as possible, meaning there's no time for him to check on her wounds. Once at the paddock he then plops her down in her chair on the catwalk and practically orders her not to move from that seat all day. He does let her throw the raptors the rat treats though, so she decides to keep the injured charade going.

Then when it's close to time for her to go, Vic shows up, demanding the reports on the new training exercise. He keeps Owen sufficiently occupied, enabling her to slip away and bumming a ride back to the main facility from a maintenance worker on a golf cart. She doesn't hear from Owen until she's about to board the helicopter, a text demanding she let him look at her feet the moment she gets back for her next visit. An easy enough promise to make considering that, if she weren't a mutant, her feet would have been healed by then anyway.

As for the new threat, well, things settle down into an almost-peace. The dinosaurs are more skittish than usual, especially the herbivores. They don't like the idea of such dangerous predators being so close, beings that can easily eat them if they want to. The carnivores are dealing with it a bit better.

The raptors are settling okay, probably because the predators are nowhere near what the raptors consider their territory, which consists of the Research Center, their paddock, and surrounding area. They also have the strong presence of their alpha, Owen, keeping them in line when they act out, so they stay relatively indifferent.

The T-Rex is a bit grouchy since she considers the entire island her territory. She's the oldest dinosaur on the island, the same T-Rex from the original Jurassic Park John Hammond built and the one who reigned quite a bit of terror during the incident that shut the park down. She doesn't like the thought of something potentially bigger and badder stepping in on her island.

The rest of the carnivores are...anxious at best.

But no one else realizes that there's a new presence in the park that's making practically all life on the island bristling with fear. Liv has learned to push it to the back of her mind to where she barely notices it anymore, but it is still there, a constant reminder that there is something wrong and it is only a matter of time before wrong turns to worse.

Whatever they are, they're locked deep within the restricted area of the island, far beyond her reach. Not even her VIP bracelet will get her past the gate. She tries asking Owen and he doesn't know, so she goes to Claire, who then refuses to talk about it. The thing is, that tells Liv all she needs to know because if Claire won't talk about it, they can only be one thing: new assets. It follows along with her own suspicions, that the two creatures are new dinosaurs cooked up in the lab, and the possibility of being right scares her.

They could turn out to be  _anything._ They could be worse than a T-Rex.

And they can still see her. When she tries to get into the restricted area where they're being kept, getting that close to them causes them to turn their eyes to her with such intensity she quickly drives off in the opposite direction. It's like they can sense her, just as she senses them, but how can that be possible?

There's nothing she can do about it though. Even if she were to tell someone how dangerous they are, these are the park's new assets, their new money makers. They won't be willing to get rid of them, so she tries to brush it aside while keeping a close eye on the infants.

Simple in theory but not in practice.

Normally, her ability to see auras only works a certain distance. She has a range of one, maybe two miles, she's never really tested it before, but that means two things are obviously true: When she's on the island, she can't see anyone on the mainland, and when she's on the mainland, she can't see anyone on the island. But she can still see the new dinosaurs no matter how far she goes. She can feel them all the way in  _Miami_ , and she knows they can see her, too. She'd thought at the very least she would get a reprieve from those eyes whenever she goes back to her mom's, but no. She can escape the island's fear but not her own.

So maybe things aren't quite as normal as what Liv likes to try to believe, but she keeps pressing on despite everything because time surly isn't going to wait for her.

The following weeks pass by in almost a blur, her fifteenth birthday and the raptors' first coming and going before she can blink. Liv, the raptors, Owen, and Barry all celebrate with a sort-of party, only sort-of because there's not that many of them and they have to keep things quiet so Vic doesn't find out. Then, all of a sudden, school is ending for the summer once again. It means the end of her internship as well. It's sad to see the internship end, though all of the trainers, not just Owen, assure her she's more than welcome to help out whenever she wants. An offer she definitely plans on taking up, she's loved working at the Research Center, especially helping with the raptor training, but will Vic allow it? He barely tolerated the internship, always looking on with silent disapproval. But she won't stop going, she's not going to stop spending time with Owen and the raptors. He'll have to physically try to stop her, because she's not going to let him keep her from who she  _really_  considers her family.

How far she's willing to go, though, she's not sure.

On the other hand, there are some good things that come to the end of the internship, like being able to go out to her paradise again. She hadn't had much time before, only able to go out for maybe an hour every weekend, just enough to ensure none of the plants would die, especially the ones not native to the area. Now, she can go out whenever she wants to again, at least, whenever Owen has time to take her. And she has missed it, terribly, so her first free weekend without the internship she asks Owen to take her out there. Owen readily agrees, they're not doing much at the Research Center today anyway since it's a report day and he actively tries to avoid writing those, so they saddle up on his bike, her with a helmet because he's overprotective like that, and then they're racing off towards Gyrosphere Valley.

It's a beautiful day out. Sunny. Cloudless. Gentle sea breeze. Hot as an oven considering summer is just around the bend again but that's to be expected and, really, between living here and Miami her entire life she's gotten kind of used to hot weather. Well, she's never exactly been in cold weather before so she can't mourn the absence of something she's never experienced. Anyway, all in all, it looks to be a perfect Friday afternoon.

Of course, it's the seemingly perfect days that turn out to really not be perfect at all.

She feels it as soon as they enter the Valley, a pulse of pain and fear. It's not like what happened when the two new predators were born, it's not widespread, but singular. A dinosaur is in trouble, the kind it can't get itself out of. Liv opens herself up to the auras and sees that they're headed right for it so she stays quiet, just hanging onto Owen from behind as she tries to figure out what's wrong. The orange aura is weak, shaking, fading at the edges like it's threatening to disappear, and she recognizes the signs for what they are.

It's not like this is the first time a dinosaur has died on the island. But this is the first time she's ever been close enough to sense its encroaching death.

When Owen begins to slow she knows he sees it. It would be hard not to, it's right in the middle of the route they take to her paradise. He comes to a stop, using his legs to keep the bike balanced, and she can feel the tension in his back. Liv takes a deep, bracing breath, and then climbs off the bike. The breath leaves her shakily as she gazes upon the downed Triceratops. She's hurt, badly, lying on the ground on her side with gashes oozing blood, hide mottled with bruising, and one horn broken in half.

Liv pulls her helmet off, gazing into the trike's eyes. They look so sad and scared. She can sense it in the dinosaur's aura, she doesn't want to die but knows she will.

"What happened to her?" Liv asks, tears brimming in her own eyes as she kneels next to the trike's head. She's slow, careful to telegraph her intentions so as not to scare the animal, but the trike is in no condition to lash out anyway.

"Based on her wounds, I'd say she was attacked by another Triceratops," Owen says, kneeling down next to her and petting the trike's frill, expression grim. The trike lets out a sound a lot like a pained moan, trying to lift her head but not getting very far before she settles back down again. "She probably challenged the herd's leader and lost, a lot like Echo and Blue fought to be beta."

Liv strokes the side of the trike's face gently, trying to give some kind of comfort. Her big eye rolls towards Liv and her aura pulses, pleading. "But why did they just leave her?"

"This may be a larger version of a zoo, but to these animals they still think of this as the wild. And in the wild it's survival of the fittest. Anyone not strong enough, the weakest links, are left behind."

"She's going to die," Liv mumbles softly, tears spilling over. She doesn't have to look at the blood pooling in the grass or the hazy look settling into the dinosaur's eye, she can see it in the fading glow of her aura, like a fog clearing with the sun's rays.

"No, she's not," Owen insists, pulling out his phone. "We'll get the vets out here and they'll patch her right up."

Panic engulfs her and she grabs Owen's wrist to stop him from dialing. "No! You can't!"

He stares at her incredulously. "Liv, I  _have_  to."

"If you do that, then you'll have to stick around until they get here, meaning I'll be stuck here too. If I'm stuck here, then the vets will see me and then Vic will find out. He'll find out I'm out here and he'll...he'll…."

He'll demand to know why she's out in the Valley riding around on the back of Owen's bike. There's no plausible excuse she can come up with to cover for that, none that Vic will believe and won't lead to a severe beating. After that, he'll probably ban her from ever seeing Owen again. She promised herself she would do whatever it takes to fight against Vic keeping her from Owen, but he will be far more aggressive about it if this is what makes him put his foot down. She wouldn't put it past him to lock her in her room, a prisoner only allowed out when it's time to go back to her mother.

"Liv, I'm sorry," Owen says, voice cracking slightly and face completely heartbroken. "I'm so sorry and I promise I'll do whatever I have to in order to protect you, but if I don't call the vets now this dinosaur will  _die_."

She understands where he's coming from, she doesn't want the trike to die either, but she still shakes her head. "It doesn't matter. It'll take the vets at least ten minutes to get out here. This dinosaur will be dead in five."

"There's no way to know that. Even if it is true, I have to try. I can't just do nothing."

"But I do know!" And she does. The trike's aura is fading fast, too fast. "Do nothing and she's dead. Call them and she's still dead. It doesn't matter what  _you_  do."

But what about Liv?

If she does nothing, Owen will call the vets, the trike will still die, Vic will find out she's out here, and she will be severely punished.

But there is  _something_  she can do. She can use her mutation and heal the trike. She's never done it on an animal so large, and never on wounds so extensive, but she knows she can do it. And if she saves the dinosaur's life, then Owen doesn't have to call the vets and Vic will never find out. Plus, the trike will actually  _live_ ; she has a chance this way.

But what about Owen? Is she really willing to expose herself as a mutant in order to save herself from Vic?

Is she really willing to let this dinosaur die to keep her secret though?

Owen's thumb slides across the screen of his phone. "I'm calling them."

"No! Wait!" She grabs the phone from him, stopping the call.

"Liv-"

"I'm scared," she says, chin wobbling as tears drip from her face. "I'm scared either way this goes but I...you're right. I can't let this dinosaur die." She sets the phone down on the grass, well out of his reach, and places both her hands on the trike, one on her muzzle and the other on her side next to one of the gashes. She looks up at Owen, fear shaking her far worse than when the entire island cried out to her, but her resolve is clear. "Please, Owen, don't hate me. Please."

She closes her eyes so she can concentrate, but mostly so she doesn't have to see the look on his face when he realizes what she is. She shakes her head at herself. Now is not the time. This Triceratops is dying. Save her life, worry about the ramifications later. With a deep breath, she focuses on the dinosaur's aura and the points of pain that signify her wounds. Liv then reaches deep within herself and starts feeding her own aura into the trike's, allowing the two of them to meld and then using her aura to shape the trike's, manipulating it to do what she wants. She soothes the pains and sores, gently closes the gashes, and helps the dinosaur's body to replenish the lost blood. She even prods at the broken horn and gets it to reform into a perfect, pointed shape.

When the Triceratops is completely healed, Liv disengages her aura from the trike's and sits back on her heels with a deep sigh. She feels really tired, like she hasn't slept in over twenty-four hours. She's never felt a drain from using her abilities before but, then again, she's never done something so…big and extensive. Gradually growing a tree over the course of several weeks is child's play compared to rapidly healing a several ton animal.

And she is healed Liv sees when she finally opens her eyes. The trike is just trying to get on her feet, breathing steadily and stretching her muscles. Blood still stains her hide but it's all old, the gashes completely sealed without leaving even a scar. Now that she's not all banged up Liv can tell the trike is a fully matured adult but only just, still relatively young. Young enough to still be a hothead, thinking she has what it takes to take on the older leader of the herd, but that's Triceratops for you. They may be herbivores but they can be as mean and aggressive as a T-Rex when they want to be.

The Triceratops nuzzles Liv's head and she lets out a wet laugh, scratching underneath the dinosaur's chin. "You're okay now, girl. Just don't go picking anymore fights." She reaches out to the auras again, searching, and then she points off into the distance where she sees a large group gathered. "Your herd's that way, girl. Go on back to them."

The Triceratops nuzzles her one more time, her nice, strong aura beating in gratitude, and then goes off in the direction Liv pointed. Either she understands or her own instincts guide her, Liv doesn't know, but the trike will soon be back with her family and Liv smiles as she watches the massive animal trot off.

Her smile soon drops though, dread constricting her chest as she finally turns to Owen.

He must have fallen out of his crouch at one point because he's sitting on his butt in the grass now, leaning back on his hands with his legs spread out in front of him, and openly gaping at her. It'd be funny if the situation were different, if it wasn't her he was freaking out about. And it does look like he's freaking out, his eyes are wide with shock, mouth hanging open, and he's yet to say anything at all.

She sits down as well, staring at the tears splashing against her crossed legs, darkening the fabric of her khakis. This is what she's been wanting to avoid, that look on his face right there. He's thinking to himself that she's a mutant, that she's a freak of nature that he's not going to want anything to do with anymore. He's horrified at what she can do, at having spent so much time with her, opening his home to her, at simply touching her. He'll tell Claire, Barry, the other trainers, whoever. The entire island will find out. And then they'll all ostracize her. She's seen it happen to other mutants at school all her life and now it's going to happen to her, with the person she cares about more than she's ever cared about anyone before.

She thought she finally had a real dad and now she's losing him.

It's been several minutes and he still hasn't said anything, so Liv slowly stands up so as not to startle him and starts to back away. "I'll just go now," she says, voice hoarse from holding back her sobs and avoiding looking at him still. She can't bear to see that look on his face again. "You'll never see me again. I promise."

"What? No!" Owen says, finally snapping out of his shock and quickly standing before she can even turn around to head back in the direction of the gate. "Why would you say that?"

She closes her eyes, hands clenching at her sides. "You know what I am, don't you?"

"Yeah," he says quietly but not with the disgust she expects. "You're a mutant, right?"

She nods, throat too tight to speak anymore.

This is the first time she's ever admitted it. To anyone.

"But what does that have to do with you saying I'll never see you again?"

Her head snaps up in surprise and…there's no horror in his face, only confusion and maybe a little fear, but not  _of_  her. There's concern and worry, but no revulsion like she's seen on the faces of other mutant-haters. He's just…Owen, still the same as if he still doesn't know she's a mutant and the words stumble out before she can think them through, "I'm a freak. You're not going to want to have anything to do with me anymore…right?"

He blinks in surprise for a moment and then he's pulling her towards him, Liv stumbling over her feet before crashing into his chest. His arms tighten around her in a crushing hug, as if he's afraid that if he lets go she'll run off.

She was close to doing just that a moment ago but she thought he would want her to, doesn't he?

"No, no, no, no," Owen soothes, like he's trying to reassure a child that there is no monster under the bed. "I don't think you're a freak, Liv. You're  _not_  a freak; no mutants are freaks and it's disgusting that some people believe that, but I don't. I never have. You just surprised me, that's all. I've known you for over a year now and I never even suspected you were a mutant. I…I thought you would have told me by now, if you were."

There's actually a little bit of hurt in his voice at that and Liv is struggling to comprehend that this is really happening, that he's not pushing her away right now. "I…I thought you would hate me," she mumbles into his shirt. "You don't hate me?"

" _No_." He holds her even closer, if that's possible, and runs a soothing hand through her hair. " _Never_. I don't hate you, I don't think you're a freak, I don't think any of those things. I know there are a lot of mutant-haters out there who do think those things but I am not one of them. I love everything about you, inside and out, mutant or not."

She tilts her face up to look at him, eyes blurring again. "You really mean that?"

"Of course I do."

"E-Even the loving me part?"

His eyes soften and he smiles. "Yeah. Especially that part. Liv, you…you're like the daughter I never had and didn't know I wanted until I met you."

Light and happiness and hope blooms inside Liv, filling her up so much she can barely stand it. She buries her face in his chest, arms wrapping around his middle with her hands curling in the back of his shirt. She tries it, because she can't just not, not after that, "I love you too. Dad."

And then there's nothing else she can do but cry. She cries out her fear and anxiety and grief over everything she's ever seen mutants endure from normal people who hate them and all the grief she's endured from Vic because of what she is.

Owen holds her through every second of it and a long time after.

* * *

When all the tears are dried, Owen's too though neither of them say anything, she takes him to see her paradise for the very first time.

Sure, Owen has taken her out into the Valley numerous times to drop her off but she's never actually invited him inside, instead just giving him a parting wave and watching as he rides back off towards the gate. This time, she takes him by the hand and shows him all she can do and all she has created using her mutant abilities.

He watches her make a flower bloom in the palm of her hand with such child-like wonder that she has to question how she ever thought he would reject her for being a mutant.

"Did you know that you glow a little bit?" Owen says a while later as they lounge in the meadow at the center of her forest. "It's faint but there's like this red outline that appears around your body. And the plants glow green. And the Triceratops glowed orange. Is that normal?"

Liv frowns down at the flower crown in her hands, using her abilities to grow them into a natural weave. "Huh. I never realized that the auras manifest when I use my abilities. I mean, me seeing them when I do stuff is normal for me so I just never realized that they were  _actually_  there or thought that anyone else might be able to see them."

Holy crap, it's a miracle she's never been found out before, then, if she glows every time she does something.

"It's not very noticeable," Owen reassures her, sensing her growing anxiety. "You have to pay really close attention and kind of squint in order to see it, but it's there, and I think it's only when you manipulate the auras, not just you looking at them."

Her shoulders relax and she lets out a relieved sigh. "That's good. I never manipulate auras while around anyone else anyway. Well, except when Echo was healing, but I was really careful then."

"Hah!" he shouts triumphantly. "I knew Echo was healing weirdly fast. And the scientists tried to claim it was thanks to their superior gene splicing."

"Yeah, I could have done it a lot faster, like I did the Triceratops, but, obviously, people would have definitely gotten suspicious at that. So I just helped her out a little bit whenever I could."

Owen lays back in the grass and flowers, folding his hands behind his head as a pillow. "I have to admit, kid, those are some pretty awesome powers you've got there."

She rolls her eyes at him. He insists on calling them powers, no matter how many times she corrects him. She doesn't like that term, it suggests her mutant abilities are magic or something when that was proven false back during World War II when Nazi scientists were a big fan of human experimentation, especially mutant experimentation. It's all just a sort of more complicated kind of science that normal humans have yet to replicate, whether it be biologically or technologically.

Although they do say that magic is just science not yet understood.

"So why are you so mellow about all of this?" she asks, stroking one of the delicate blue flowers of her crown with a forefinger. "I mean, seriously, you freaked out a lot less than I thought you would, even if you are pro-mutant."

Which she will forever be grateful for but still, like he said, he just found out someone he's known for over a year is a mutant. Shouldn't he be acting like she just told him the sky is really purple or something?

Owen just shrugs and simply says, "You're not the first mutant I've ever met."

That surprises her, but, really, it shouldn't. It's not like mutants are all  _that_  uncommon. So she just arches a brow at him and waits for him to continue.

He shrugs again. "There was this old man back at the stables where my dad worked. He'd been working there for years, before my dad started working there, so I grew up knowing him. And then when I was twelve I caught him in the stables levitating food into the horses' stalls."

She nods thoughtfully. "Okay, yeah, telekinesis is definitely crazier than what I can do and you knew him for a lot longer. What did you do when you found out?"

"Nothing. The ranch owner already knew and was perfectly fine with it, and he made me promise not to tell anyone else, a promise I kept till his dying day."

She looks over at him through the sweep of her hair. "Are you willing to do the same for me?"

He sits up on his elbows and looks at her very seriously. "Liv, I would  _never_  tell anyone you're a mutant unless I had your explicit permission." He then sits up all the way, shifting around nervously to face her. "There is one thing I want to ask though." She bites her lip but nods at him to go on. "Can we tell Barry?"

The fact that he says "we" instead of "I" is comforting, but only a little. "Why?"

"Well, for one thing, he's my best friend. I don't want to have to lie to him unless I absolutely have to." He takes the flower crown from her and places it lightly on her head, tilting it just right so it won't fall off whenever she moves. "And two, his grandfather was a mutant, a man he was very close to even though he didn't pick up the gene himself, so he gets it."

"What could his grandfather do?" she asks curiously, avoiding the actual question.

"He could teleport. Used to drive Barry nuts by popping up without warning and trying to scare him." He takes her hands in both of his, rubbing circles against the back of her hands with his thumbs. "He won't tell anyone you're a mutant either, Liv. I promise. He cares about you, too."

She knows Barry cares about her. He's been in her corner since that day she got sick and Vic did nothing to help her. Barry's been running interference for her so she can spend more time with Owen without Vic getting in the way ever since. "You really trust him enough to where you can promise me that?"

"I trust him with my life. Any less, and I wouldn't even suggest it."

She takes in a deep breath and then exhales slowly. "Okay." Getting that one word out is difficult, but when she does she feels...better somehow. "Yeah, okay. We can tell Barry. But no one else, alright? Not even Claire."

How Claire would react...Liv really isn't sure. Either she'd be really chill about it, because she's always chill about everything no matter how hectic things get running the park, or she'd totally flip.

"That's fine. I'm not trying to push you or anything. But I'll support you no matter what you decide, okay? Whether you decide to tell anyone else or not." He looks down at his watch and then cringes, quickly getting to his feet. "I should probably get back. You want to come with or stay out here?"

She thinks it over for a second and then raises a hand for him to help pull her up. "I think I'll go with."

She doesn't feel like hiding out here anymore.

* * *

Owen isn't completely honest about why he wants to be able to tell Barry she's a mutant. At least, he doesn't tell her the whole truth.

Barry  _is_ his best friend, they went through the Navy together and came out the other side alive, and he  _doesn_ 't want to have to lie to him, but that's not the only reason Owen wants to tell him.

Liv being a mutant puts some things into perspective, especially once he finds out she can not only heal animals, but also herself. He's always wondered why there are no physical signs on Liv's body if Vic is abusing her, and this explains why. She automatically heals them within minutes, leaving no evidence. He's tempted to broach the subject with her again, now that he knows she's a mutant, but ultimately decides not to. If she's ever going to admit anything, it has to be her choice, not because he pushes her.

That doesn't mean he's just going to do nothing though.

So he needs Barry to know, because if they're going to get Liv away from Vic, they're going to have to come up with a new plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Owen now knows she's a mutant. I know a lot of you were thinking it would happen because of some sort of accident and Owen would see her heal, but I didn't want to go that route. Honestly, I though it important that she be the one to willingly show him, even though her hands were tied. Saving that dinosaur was more important to her than keeping her secret.
> 
> But things aren't just going to be fine and dandy now. Her being a mutant, needing to keep that secret, it was a big reason why she wouldn't tell Owen about the abuse but it isn't the only reason. So we still have a bit of a bumpy ride ahead of us.
> 
> Next chapter is Friday.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	13. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday the 13th everybody! Hope you have a lucky one. I know I'm enjoying mine so far. Plus you guys get another chapter so that's lucky, right?
> 
> I remember having a lot of trouble with this chapter. It jumps around a bit more than I would have liked it to and spans a lot of stuff, and time, but I hope you still like it.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Telling Barry she's a mutant the next day is a bit anticlimactic.

She's nervous about it all night and all the next morning, even though the odds of him reacting as well as Owen are good, especially since Owen vouches for him pretty confidently, but she still stresses over it. So when they take him out to her paradise, Barry following behind them on his ATV, she just sort of mutely leads them into the meadow, abruptly turns to face him when they get there, and blurts it out, "I'm a mutant."

She then sticks her hand out holding a seed and makes it grow in about two seconds, eyes screwed up tight and shoulders hunched.

"Well, that explains a lot," is all Barry says and she cracks her eyes open to see that there is absolutely none of the shock Owen portrayed the day before.

"You're not surprised?" she asks, bewildered. "Not even a little bit?"

"Oh, I am surprised, but I am a lot better at dealing with surprises. Did Owen tell you about my grandfather?"

"Yeah…."

"Well, you try growing up with a teleporting grandfather. You would be used to surprises, too."

Liv lets out a breathy laugh, finally lowering her hand with the flower. Yeah, she can understand that.

They then all sit down in the grass and Liv explains in a bit more detail about what all she can do, like what she did with Owen. It's weird, actually getting to talk about it all. She's had no one to share this with for so long. Everything dealing with her mutation, she's always had to tough it out on her own, trying to understand it, learning all she can do. Being able to tell them and actually vocalize it all for once is refreshing.

And then Barry offers to help her learn even more.

"But you're not a mutant," Liv protests, not meaning anything mean by it, but Barry is a normal. He doesn't have any abilities, so how could he possibly help her learn about her own?

"My grandfather told me much about what he could do and how he learned to control his abilities. He said the key to being able to travel to places he had never laid eyes on before was to first gaze upon the pieces of  _himself_ he'd never seen before."

"The pieces of himself? What, you mean like looking inward through meditation or something?"

"Yes, exactly. I believe you could benefit from his teachings, for your abilities have to do directly with your most inner self, your aura as you call it. If you take the time to better understand your inner self then perhaps it will help you master your aura as a tool, enable you to use your abilities effortlessly without the drain you felt after the Triceratops and maybe even enable you to do things you never even dreamed of before."

"Did it help your grandfather?"

"Yes. When he first started out, he could only teleport to places he had been to before. With time, effort, and meditation, he was able to gaze at a picture of a place and then take himself there, and then, later, even that aid he did not need. He was able to reach out with his inner self and find the place he wished to go without needing to see anything at all. He discovered that it was his inner self that was taking the journey first before his body all along. Meditation helped him realize what was happening and then helped him to be able to send his inner self on the journey himself wherever he wanted to go."

Liv leans back on her hands, staring up at the sky for a moment. "You really think meditation will help me understand my aura and how it works?"

"Yes, I do."

"And you can teach me?"

"My grandfather taught me everything he knew since it is good for all souls, not just mutant."

She casts a questioning glance to Owen but he just holds up his hands. "Hey, don't look at me. I don't know anything about meditation yoga or whatever. It's up to you, kid."

Unhelpful, but, hey, meditation is basically sitting around doing nothing for an hour, right? It doesn't sound too hard, and it's not like it's going to hurt anything, so she nods. "Alright, I'll give it a try."

It's better than doing nothing. And she would love to get a better grasp on her abilities. Could come in handy one day.

"Excellent." Barry moves to sit in front of her, crossing his legs in a way that does not look like it should be possible, or at the very least should be painful. "Now close your eyes and take a deep breath."

"What, we're starting now?" She tries to mimic the way he has his legs twisted but quickly gives up, folding them in the traditional Indian style instead.

"No time like the present."

"In that case," Owen lays back in the grass, lacing his fingers together on his stomach, "I'm going to take a nap."

Barry closes his eyes, hands resting lightly on his knees, and says bluntly, "Snore and I will send you back to the Research Center to do those reports you neglected to do yesterday."

"Hey, I have an excuse! I was busy finding out Liv is a mutant."

Liv snorts and Barry shakes his head. "Quiet now," he says. "Liv, close your eyes."

* * *

Learning meditation is…interesting.

Okay, so it's mostly boring, but she is trying, even though most of the time she's really close to falling asleep.

Barry says that in order to look upon her inner self she first has to tune out the outside world and focus on her own body. She's glad they only do this in her paradise. There are far less distractions in the forest than there would be in the Research Center. She likes sitting in silence, she's used to it from being on her own all the time. So the not talking part is easy for her. It's the emptying her mind and focusing on nothing but her own body that's difficult. Barry instructs her to concentrate on individual parts of her body, starting with the crown of her head and gradually flowing down to the ends of her toes. She is to concentrate on that and nothing else.

Yeah, boring. But she makes herself do it because Barry says it really works if she has patience and she's not one to give up.

It just takes a while to get the hang of it.

It's not like she isn't already self-aware of her own aura, though, because she is. It's just that she can only see and touch and control her own aura when she actually needs it to do something. When she needed to heal the trike it was easy to bring her aura forward and use it to manipulate the trike's. But when she just wants to look at it and understand it without actually doing anything? It's hard. It's hard to understand just how it is that she's able to call on her aura when she needs to. It like her body instinctively knows how to do a pirouette and now she's trying to figure out how each of her limbs move in order to accomplish it. Barry says that if she can change it from instinct to conscious action, then she'll be able to open up the possibilities of what she can do.

Owen comes with them every time they go out to meditate, even though he's basically just lazing about doing nothing. She keeps expecting him to ask about Vic again, to ask plainly this time if her father is hurting her. But he never does.

She gets the feeling he's waiting for her.

She wonders sometimes if she shouldn't just tell him, the main reason she was holding back in the first place was because she didn't want to tell him she's a mutant. But she can never get the words out, her fear of Vic and what he would do to her making them get stuck in her throat. Besides, Vic has been strangely absent lately. She doesn't see him as often as she used to. He's no longer the near-constant shadow lingering around the paddock to watch training sessions. Something else is occupying his time, so she worries less about incurring his anger and it makes it easy to slip away to her paradise with Owen and Barry. Vic has no idea she's hanging out with them so much, so even when she does see him, he leaves her alone.

She's content to leave things as they are for now, because at least this way she knows she gets to stay with Owen. If she tells him and he helps her get away from Vic, she could very easily end up being taken away and she'll lose him.

Besides, she's content to just leave things as they are for now, because at least this way she knows she gets to stay with Owen. If she tells him and he helps her get away from Vic, she could very easily end up being taken away and lose him.

So she just pushes it all from her mind and gets back to meditating.

Oddly enough, being able to call upon her aura at will isn't a gradual change but more like the flip of a switch. One minute she's focusing on the tip of her nose and the next she's seeing herself glowing red, eyes closed. She shifts from her nose to focusing on her own aura, of the feel of it around her and inside her. It's like a warm pressure, extremely subtle to where she usually doesn't notice it at all, but she does now. It pulses and moves around her, like a layer of water over her skin. It's just as slippery, too, as she grasps it, tries to get it to move, but without any clear direction or goal it only pulses a little more quickly and then settles again. She huffs in frustration.

"Just concentrate, Liv," Barry says in front of her. "Don't force it. Recognize the natural movements your body and aura already know and learn to do them yourself."

She takes a deep breath and nods, more to herself than anyone else. Instead of trying to force her aura to do anything she just stares at it for a while, studying it. After a few moments she realizes it's different than the other auras. All the other auras she's ever gazed upon, they've often reminded her of fog or smoke, they exist but not with any real solidity. Her aura is firmer. It has actual substance, which is probably why it's able to manipulate other auras.

She tries it, placing a seed on the ground next to her and reaching her aura out to mix with the green aura of the seed. It doesn't just mix, though, like she always thought. It creates a kind of membrane around the green aura, but it's not perfect and filled with holes. As she urges the seed to grow she can see some of the smoke escaping the membrane, the seed's aura fighting against her own. This is probably why it took so much more effort to heal the Triceratops. The membrane has too many holes and the trike's aura was probably slipping out of her control too much to where she had to instinctively fight harder in order to get the other aura to listen to her. Now, she concentrates on the membrane, concentrates on closing the holes until each of them are filled, creating a perfect bubble.

She smiles, continuing to encourage the seed to grow and feeling it respond a lot faster now.

And then the sunlight behind her eyelids is blotted out by shadow.

"Uh, Liv?" Owen says, voice sounding odd, and she opens her eyes to ask him what's wrong.

Only to see that where before there was open field there is now a huge tree right next to her, its branches sweeping high above them to practically cover the entire meadow. It's the seed she had been growing, and it's the same size as some of the trees that she's been gradually growing for  _years_.

"Holy crap, did I do that?" she can't help but ask aloud. She knows she did it, but it's just that she's never been able to grow anything so fast before.

Barry laughs joyfully, clasping her shoulder firmly with his hand. "I believe, my girl, that you are getting the hang of it."

With a slight nudge in the opposite direction, Liv watches as the tree shrinks, reverting back down to a seed in seconds. She turns to Owen and Barry, both of them grinning at her, and she grins back. "Yeah, I think you're right."

Her grin vanishes as her ears are filled with frantic screaming, like a thousand voices screeching at once. She lets out a choked-off scream of her own, curling into a ball on the ground and covering her ears against the noise and the pain.

But still she hears them. All of the auras on the island crying out at once. It's almost louder than last time, if possible.

She automatically turns her attention to the two burning auras of the new predators, because why else would the entire island be panicking?

Well, unless there was yet another new predator, but she's not going to contemplate that idea.

The thought dies as soon as she focuses on the two predators though. Whatever they're doing, their auras are raging in anger and fury, burning hotter and hotter as if trying to outdo each other, but it's always been obvious that one is stronger than the other.

What is going on? What are they doing?

And then, as soon as it started, it stops. Not the screaming, but the predators, because, in an instant, they go from two to one.

One of the predators died. Based on the panicking residents of the island and the way the predators' auras themselves seemed to be fighting each other, Liv would bet anything that they fought each other, and then one killed the other. The stronger one is victorious, of course.

And she made the final kill without any remorse, without almost any feelings at all, really. If she were human, Liv would be tempted to call the dinosaur a sociopath. She just killed her sibling like it was nothing. Not even Blue was like that when she was fighting against Echo. That had been about dominance, about staking her claim as beta. She didn't want to kill Echo but would have if it came down to it because a beta never backs down no matter what. But this, this had no purpose. There was only two of them, there didn't need to be a leader. They weren't pack animals.

But she killed her and it scares Liv. It scares the entire island.

When the screams finally quiet down once more and she's able to force herself to look away from the predator's aura, she becomes aware that Owen's cradling her to his chest, rocking back and forth and murmuring soothing words in her ear. She turns her face into the crook of his neck, clinging to him, grateful that this time he's with her and she doesn't have to go racing blind through the jungle. She lets him calm her, lets him reassure her that she's safe, but is she really?

The future does not bode well with a dinosaur like this on the island. Liv can almost hear the faint echoes of the Jurassic Park victims, claiming that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

So Liv decides to warn them. She tells Owen and Barry of the new dinosaurs born in the labs months ago, of how they've sent the entire park into a frenzy of fear, and how one has now killed the other. None of these dinosaurs need to kill for food. It's provided to them, more than their stomachs will ever need.

This was murder.

"I'm scared, Owen," Liv says, still held firmly in Owen's arms, like a child in the arms of her father after a nightmare, but this isn't a nightmare and she's not claiming it as one this time. "The whole island is scared. I can feel their fear, all the time, but I don't know how to stop it. What do we do?"

Owen and Barry share a long, hard look. "I'm not sure," Owen finally admits, "but if this dinosaur is as dangerous as you say she is, then we can't just do nothing."

"At the very least we should find out what she is," Barry says. "Figure out where she's being contained. How large she is, how dangerous she is. And what her chances are of escaping."

A shiver runs down Liv's spine. If this dinosaur, this  _monster_ , ever escapes, it will mean death to the entire island.

And she can't let that happen.

"What do you need me to do?" she asks.

"For now, you don't need to do anything," Owen says firmly. She opens her mouth to argue but he narrows his eyes at her sternly. "Let Barry and I handle it."

She lets out a huff. "Fine."

"Do not worry, Liv," Barry says, trying to sound reassuring but slightly missing the mark. "For now, all you need to do is focus on you and strengthening your abilities."

Liv nods and moves away from Owen, moving to continue her meditation. If she can't do anything right now, fine. The least she can do is this. She can unlock any new aspects to her abilities. She can get stronger. Stronger than this monster.

They may need it.

* * *

Barry and Owen snoop around, trying to find out more about the new dinosaur, but just keep running into walls. Liv isn't much surprised though. They can't admit to knowing the dinosaur exists without telling anyone how they found out, meaning outing her as a mutant, but they are trying, stopping just short of breaking any laws.

She's not sure whether she actually wants them to break the law or not, if it comes down to it, if it's their only remaining option. They need to find out more but, for now, there is no real need to worry. There is no real danger. She's safely locked away, growing frighteningly fast, but not getting out any time soon.

In the meantime, Liv's meditation sessions continue and she continues to get better, faster, stronger. It's a bit of a high, learning how to better control her abilities. Plants grow with a simple wave of her hand and she feels like she can grow another paradise in just a few minutes.

But it doesn't stop there.

She's always had a sort of empathy or something, she knows that. Well, not empathy, exactly. More like she's able to tell what another is feeling based on what she sees in their aura. It works mostly with just animals and not humans. Humans have a natural instinct to protect their inner selves, to protect what they're truly feeling, so she doesn't really get any emotions from human auras. She imagines, with practice, that could change, but she's not particularly interested in that. She doesn't want to know what someone else is thinking and feeling all the time.

With animals, however, it is extremely useful. It's mostly been just little things in the past. She knew the Triceratops didn't want to die. She knows the new predator is the complete opposite of warm and fuzzy. Now she's getting better at picking out individual emotions. And she's starting to be able to use it in regards to the raptors. She can tell when they're having a good day or a bad day, when they're being playful or are really annoyed. She can tell when they really get a training exercise or when they don't understand what Owen is trying to get them to do.

Then one afternoon she discovers that it's not just a one-way street.

She's up on the catwalk, waiting for Owen and Barry. They're going to go hang out at her paradise again but she has to wait for them to finish some reports. In the meantime, she's playing with the raptor squad like she did before, throwing rats out into the forest of their enclosure for them to hunt down. The raptors are fully grown now, making them almost as tall as Owen, definitely taller than her considering she hasn't grown much in the height department, and they're a good four meters long from snout to tail.

They're basically big enough to ride but there's no way she's going to test that.

Since no one else is around she takes a quick peek at their auras. They're happy for the extra treats and excited that she's paying attention to them. That makes her pause, that they'd be so attached to her. She still doesn't understand how she's become a part of their pack. What has she done to deserve their trust and loyalty? Why do they care?

She's just tossed another rat when that last thought crosses her mind and, instead of going after the snack like they always do, the raptors each come to a jarring halt at the tree line and turn to look up at her. She looks around, thinking maybe Owen climbed up the stairs behind her, but she's still alone. Brow furrowed, she takes a look at their auras to try to figure out why they stopped.

The sense of  _mine_  going through them and spreading down the pack bond connected to her is so astounding she has to grab onto the guardrail to keep her balance. They really, really do consider her part of the pack, but that still doesn't tell her why.

The emotions suddenly shift, going slightly less  _mine_  and more affectionate and protective, almost like….

Almost like they consider her their own hatchling.

"But I'm older than you!" she protests aloud, even though they probably don't understand the words. She was born way before them, she was there when they freaking hatched. Why in the world would they consider her the baby of the bunch?

"You alright, Liv?" Owen asks, coming up the stairs and coming across the catwalk to join her, Barry right behind him.

She points down frantically at the raptors. "I finally know where I fall in the pack."

"And where would that be?"

After a few false starts, trying to not make this sound completely weird and gross, she finally settles on, "They've gone all mother bear on me."

Barry arches a surprised brow. "They think of you as their own offspring?"

"Yes. At least, I think so." She rubs her forehead in frustration. "I mean, I can sort of understand their emotions by looking at their auras, so it's kind of hard to understand, but…yeah. I think that's what they're trying to say. But why would they think that? I'm not a Velociraptor! And I'm older!"

"Well, the age thing is more complicated than that," Owen says, leaning against the rail with amusement in his eyes. "You see, they're fully matured adults now while you're still just a kid. They can probably smell your adolescence. To them, they're older than you."

Liv's mouth falls open slightly and she sputters, "What, you mean like dog years?"

"Exactly. So in the pack, since they're technically more mature than you, that automatically places you as one of the young and them the adults."

She sighs. Of course it does. "But what about them treating me as their hatchling or whatever? We're not even the same species."

"To some animal species, especially birds, that doesn't matter," Barry explains. "The cuckoo will hatch her eggs in another bird's nest, often a bird of a different species, who then raises the baby cuckoo as one of her own. Species does not matter to them."

"So they've basically adopted me? Wait, but if they're the adults and I'm the baby or whatever, why do they listen to my commands? They listen to me almost as well as they listen to Owen."

Owen shrugs. "Don't know. You'll have to ask them that."

"They know simple commands but that's not exactly enough to have a conversation."

"I don't know, kid. You can understand them pretty well. How do you know it won't work unless you try?"

She looks at him a bit skeptically but then Barry says, "Go ahead, Liv. Try it. You have said that you share a unique connection with the raptors, a bond that connects your aura to theirs. Perhaps there is something you can do with it."

It sounds crazy. Bonds have never been anything more than emotional connections shared between people. They're not magical bonds or anything like that. People can't do anything with them, no telepathy or physic link or any kind of special ability.

But Liv isn't normal. Her aura isn't normal. It's made of different stuff that allows her to do things no one else can. Would it really be any different here?

She closes her eyes and concentrates, finding it easy now to bring her aura into focus. But it isn't just her aura she needs to look at right now. She also concentrates on the pack bond she shares with the raptors. It's grown since the first time she's seen it, stronger, thicker. Still not as thick as their bond with Owen, but that will probably always be the case. He is their alpha, after all. Still, they care about her, just as she cares about them, and it's connected them in a way.

Following the bond, she feels along it until they branch out into each of the raptors' auras. They've gone off into the forest in search of the rat, but she can sense their curiosity. They know she's up to something.

With a deep breath, she reaches out to the pack bond with her own aura. She doesn't envelope it like she does to grow plants or heal animals. That doesn't feel like the right thing to do, so she follows her instincts, instead grasping the bond and giving an experimental tug.

The raptors stop in their tracks and she can feel them swivel their heads to look at her even though she can't see them. Heart racing excitedly, she digs her fingers into the bond, so to speak, and tries to send a thought along it.

_Come here._

They don't move. Licking her lips, she tries again, this time less word-based. Human language is still mostly a mystery to them, so she tries to send an image instead, of them standing in the clearing below her.

There's a slight rustling of leaves and Liv opens her eyes to see the raptor squad standing in the clearing, just as she asked them to. She grins, sending her love and affection for them down through the bond and they return the feelings to her just as fiercely.

It really is a two-way street. She can send things, just as she can receive things from them. She wonders if she's been unconsciously doing it all this time which is why they listen to her commands so easily, but that doesn't explain why they listen to her at all.

She can feel their loyalty to her. She takes that emotion and sends it back to them, along with her own curiosity and just one word, hoping they understand what she's trying to ask.

_Why?_

At that, they look to Owen, and then back to her. Back to Owen, and then back to her. She sends them her confusion but they just keep doing the same thing. They look to Owen, and then back to her.

She looks at Owen as well, brow furrowed, trying to understand. What does Owen have to do with them listening to her? Running out of ideas, she takes a look at his aura. And is surprised by what she finds.

There's a bond as thick as a rope running from his aura to hers.

Tears quickly fill her eyes and she covers her mouth with her hand. She knows he cares about her, especially after what was said when he found out she's a mutant, but she didn't expect there to be a bond, at least, not one so strong. It's stronger than what he shares with even the raptors. They must be able to sense it, somehow, the deep connection her and Owen share.

Owen's hands suddenly cups her face, wiping her tears away. "Liv," he says, concern in his eyes, "what do you see?"

"I-I see a bond," she says, voice thick with emotion. "Between you and me."

He smiles softly. "Of course there is, kiddo. You said that's what happens when people care a lot about each other, right?"

She sniffs loudly, wiping at her face. "Yeah, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. But," she turns to look at the raptors who are still staring up at them, "why does my connection to you make them listen to me?"

"Maybe it's because they know it means they are not the only ones who adopted you," Barry supplies. "Maybe, in their eyes, you are their alpha's hatchling."

A longing pain shoots through her chest. She wishes that were really true, that she was actually Owen's daughter. Owen wraps an arm around her shoulders, squeezes, and she knows she's not the only one thinking it. "That still only makes me a hatchling," she says. "Would being the alpha's hatchling really make that much of a difference?"

"Maybe it's because you're human," Owen says, "and they know that, in reality, you're older than them. You have more experience and, as a human, have more intelligence and understanding of the world. You're not trapped in the paddock like them; you can come and go as you please. Maybe this is their way of acknowledging that, even though they feel the need to protect you as one of their young, they still know you're superior and they respect you."

Liv hums thoughtfully to herself, rolling that thought around in her head and examining the pack bond more closely. It does explain the strange mixture of emotions coming from them, the strong need to protect and the strong need to listen to her. Though, if she were down in that paddock with them, would those feelings still hold true?

She fishes another rat out of the bucket and throws it into the trees, the four raptors immediately darting off in search of it. "Well, whether you're right or not, that's probably as good an explanation as we're going to get."

It's nice to know they're on her side, whatever the reason. She gets the feeling she's going to need all the help she can get for whatever trouble this new dinosaur brings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so like I said, a lot of stuff covered in this chapter.
> 
> Liv doesn't fess up to the abuse quite yet. I know a lot of you were hoping she would, but as you can see, admitting she's a mutant wasn't the only thing that was making her hold back. If she gets taken away from Vic, she'll lose the only good things she has, but with Vic's mysterious absence, she's fine to leave things as they are.
> 
> I wasn't quite sure exactly when the Indominus was supposed to eat her sibling, so I had it happen at only a couple months old. They apparently grow really fast, according to the movie, so it could have happened at any time. I always saw it as such a sinister thing to do. The Indominus herself is sinister to me. Some people don't like her portrayed as a monster, but if she were human that's exactly what we'd call her. She killed her sister for no good reason. Killing humans, okay, I can see that being justified. She didn't like being locked up and only wanted her freedom. I get that. But then she started killing other dinosaurs for sport. She saw herself as superior, and again, I understand that since she's an animal, but other animals don't kill needlessly like that just to prove their superiority. The way Owen reacted, it sounded like very unusual behavior. Honestly, the Indominus kind of reminded me of a serial killer.
> 
> And then there's the raptors. I know you guys have been waiting to find out why they've brought her into the pack like they have, and I hope this was satisfying. And believable. I don't know, I'm not sure why my head went this way but it felt right at the time. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Next chapter will be Sunday. And next chapter...I am so excited for next chapter. I was excited when I was finally able to write next chapter.
> 
> Why am I so excited when I get to be mean to my characters?
> 
> But the fluff! And raptor puppy piles!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	14. Paddock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! This chapter is one that I had in my head long before actually writing it. Everything's that's come before, all of it was written with this chapter in mind, as well as the next chapter. This was the goal, the destination. I just had to get the characters here and we have finally arrived.
> 
> The time has finally come, but remember, sometimes you have to bleed before you can heal.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy.

Life settles down into a pattern. Liv arrives at the park, checks in with Vic, spends time with Owen, Barry, and the raptors, and then she meditates in her paradise. School is school, sophomore year turning out to be one of her toughest, but her grades all stay in the steady A's. Even though it's a little early, she starts looking into colleges, not limiting herself at all since Masrani gave her that full-ride scholarship for testing the internship program. She's seen many college students be a part of the full program and she's looking forward to the day she gets her chance.

She keeps expecting Vic to put in his two-cents about college choices but he's almost never around anymore in order to give an opinion. His absences are getting longer and longer. It makes her nervous instead of relieved, especially when she goes looking for him to find out what he's up to.

She finds his aura in the restricted area where the new predator is being kept.

If Vic is involved with that dinosaur's creation, then nothing good can come of it. But what plans could the head of InGen security possibly have for this unknown dinosaur? Then again, what plans could he possibly have for the Velociraptors?

She doesn't like to think about the possibilities. They scare her too much.

In any case, with Vic almost never around, Liv gets a bit adventurous. For the first time in her life she decides to test the boundaries Vic has set in place, starting to stay out later than his strict eight o' clock curfew, gradually getting a couple minutes later as the weeks progress. And he doesn't catch her. Most nights, Vic himself doesn't get to the suite until at least eleven. She hardly sees him except for when she first checks in when she arrives on the island and that's about it. He's turning into her mother in that way.

And it makes her lonely.

Yes, she still has Owen and Barry and the raptors. She sees Claire and a lot of the other employees of Jurassic World, not to mention all the tourists. But she never sees her actual, blood family anymore. She knows that's wrong and she doesn't know what to do.

Even though she kind of does.

One night after eating dinner with Owen and the other trainers out at The Watering Hole again, Liv says she has to get back to her suite but instead goes back to the raptor paddock. Her paradise has become more of a training ground than a place to relax and right now she needs some time to herself to think. It's getting close to closing time for the park anyway, the island covered in the darkness of night, and the Gyrospheres will all be put away soon, so the paddock is as good a place as any.

After parking her ATV she eyes the stairs to the catwalk and then dismisses them, instead making a beeline towards the cage, stopping just outside the door. She doesn't know the key code in order to get inside so she just slips her arms through the bars and leans against the outer cage wall, staring into the forest enclosure.

Her parents are not acting like parents should. They never have, she knows this, but she's never actually considered doing anything about it. She used to be content to leave things as they are, just dealing with whatever they throw at her and making it mostly on her own, but she finds herself unsatisfied with the status quo now.

Now, after spending so much time with Owen and Barry, she knows what it's like when things are different, when she has a parent who actually cares about her, and she's starting to wish she could have that all the time.

Her real parents are never going to give her that, though. She can't just approach them, tell them she's unhappy with how things are, and hope they'll change. She's not that naive, especially when it comes to Vic, but she knows not even her mother would be willing to try. She cares too much about her job and it consumes all aspects of her life. To change would be to give it up and Liv can't see her doing that.

There's only one thing she can do to change her situation: tell Owen so that he can tell the proper authorities and let the system take care of it.

But the system terrifies her.

What if there is no sufficient evidence to charge Vic with child abuse? Would her testimony be enough? Because she's not really sure what she has to offer by way of evidence besides her word. And if it's her word against Vic's, then she will surely lose.

Even if she does get away from Vic, what then? Will the system be able to take her away from her mother as well, or will they see nothing wrong with the way her mother treats her? Liv knows what child neglect is, but she's worried that it won't be enough. What if the system simply places her with her mother full-time and hope for the best?

And if it doesn't? If she does get away from both her parents, then the system will swallow her whole and it'll be an orphanage or foster care for her. Unless….

Unless she's adopted. Unless  _Owen_  adopts her. But will he want to? Sure, he's already admitted to loving her like a daughter, but that's different to actually taking her in and raising her. Would he be willing to take on a teenager?

She groans in frustration, banging her head softly on the bars. She can't believe she's actually contemplating it. How would she even tell Owen without Vic finding out? Will Owen be able to act quickly enough to where Vic doesn't punish her before he's taken away? Images cloud her mind as she pictures all the things Vic has ever promised he'd do to her if she ever tells anyone he beats her. They send a shudder down her spine. It would be the worst pain she's ever felt before, and she doesn't even know if there comes a point to where even her mutation can't heal her. She's scared to find out.

Maybe she should just let things lay as they are. Surely it'll get better with time? She can just deal with it for now and it'll be fine, right?

She's so consumed by her thoughts that she doesn't hear the car approaching the Research Center. She doesn't see the headlights, doesn't hear the vehicle come to a stop.

Doesn't know Vic is right behind her until it's too late.

A large hand grabs her by the shoulder and forcefully spins her around, pushing her back against the bars with a solid clang. Liv stares wide-eyed up at her father, his face flushed red with anger in the dim lighting of the outdoor lights.

"Where have you been?" he demands in a growl, hands on his hips. "I've told you time and time again, curfew is at eight. That was over an hour ago."

Crap, she meant to get back to the suite by 8:30. How long as he been looking for her? She swallows thickly and answers in a weak voice, "Everyone at the Research Center invited me out to dinner with them and then I came here. I didn't realize how late it was, I'm sorry-"

He backhands her, head snapping to the side with the force of it and knocking back into the bars. Stars blur her eyes for a moment and she blinks rapidly in order to clear them away.

Vic's mouth screws up in almost a snarl. "Don't lie to me. You're not just with  _everyone._ You're with  _Owen._ "He smacks her again and this time she falls to the ground, the coppery taste of blood blossoming in her mouth. " _Owen, Owen_ ,"he sneers. "It's always Owen. What is up with you and him, huh? You're always following him around like a lost puppy. What, do you have a crush on him or something?"

Liv doesn't have time to contemplate how disgusting that thought is, that she would have a crush on someone she considers family. She just moves, crawling on the ground, trying to get away. She thought Vic was cooling off about her hanging out with Owen, but now, she's never seen him so mad. His aura is radiating fury, the heat of it so potent she's surprised it isn't burning her. She doesn't get very far, though, before his hand flashes out, grabbing her forearm in a bruising grip and hauling her to her feet. She struggles against his hold, squiggling and worming, but he's a lot stronger than her.

With his other hand Vic punches in the key code for the cage door and drags her inside. He pulls the door closed behind them with a foreboding clunk and then presses the button on the right wall that locks the door. Despair curls tight in her stomach as he flings her down to the ground in the middle of the cage because she's completely trapped now. There's another keypad inside the cage, used to open the door back up, Velociraptor-proof. And also Liv-proof. She doesn't know this key code either.

There's nowhere to go. Nowhere to run.

"So what is it, hmm?" Vic asks impatiently, his breathing coming fast as he towers over her. "If you don't have a crush on him, then what is it? What, do you think he cares about you?"

Liv gets her hands and knees under her, trying to get up, but he kicks her in the side, sending her to the ground again.

"Do you think he'll  _save_  you? You gonna tell him what I do to you and you think he'll save you from me?"

He kicks her again and she cries out. He's always known how to make the pain last, knows when to hit her so that she's hurting all over again before she has time to heal from the last strike.

"Well let me tell you something, Olivia." He grabs her by the hair and yanks hard, forcing her to look up at him. She tries to get an arm under her to relieve the pressure on her scalp but he won't let her. "He won't help you."

His eyes drift downward suddenly and they darken until they're almost pitch black.

The tiger necklace hangs loose around her neck. It must have come out from behind her shirt when he tossed her to the ground.

Vic roughly snatches the necklace and gives it a sharp yank, making the leather snap apart. He then tosses it to the ground and stomps on it with his boot, smooshing it into the dirt.

"No!" she cries in protest but he just pulls on her hair harder.

"You think that little trinket means he cares?" He laughs haughtily. "He doesn't care. He especially wouldn't care if he knew what you are. After all, who could care about a mutant  _freak_  like you?"

He spits the word at her, spittle splattering against her face to mix with her tears. She knows it's not true, that Owen does care about her and that he doesn't care that she's a mutant, but the words still hurt.

How could her own father think that way about her? Why does being a mutant, why does being  _born,_ make him hate her so much?

Four furious shrieks shatter the air, startling them both. They look up into the enclosure in time to see Blue charge at the inner cage gate. She crashes into it hard but nowhere near hard enough to break through. It scares Vic enough to let Liv go, though, and he backs up to press himself against the wall with a curse, fear prominent in his face. Blue backs up and charges again, this time also accompanied by Charlie. They both crash but still the bars hold, as they should, but right now Liv wishes they would crumble like a sand castle in an ocean wave.

The raptors are looking solely at Vic, snarling angrily. They know he's trying to hurt her so they're doing all they can to protect her.

But they can't get inside. Vic's brain finally catches up with that fact as well and he smirks cockily at them. "Sorry, fellas, but you're not getting in here. We're not your food. Now get!" He points off into their jungle, expecting them to follow his command. Instead, Blue and Charlie charge the gate again, Delta and Echo snapping their jaws at him. Vic growls in frustration. "Go on, get out of here!"

"Sorry, but they only listen to a select few people," Liv says, struggling to her feet, necklace cradled delicately in her hand like an injured bird. She places a hand gingerly on her side, wincing slightly, but she can feel the bruises already starting to fade and the pain recede. "And you definitely aren't one of them."

"What, and you are?" Vic replies, voice heavy with skepticism.

"Actually," she shuffles over to the wall, right next to the controls for the inner gate, "I am." She raises her hand to the button that will open the gate, staring down Vic with a lot more confidence than she's ever felt. Having four Velociraptors at her back will do that to a person.

Vic's smirk falls, eying her and the raptors with trepidation. "You wouldn't."

It's her turn to smirk. "Oh, I would."

"They'd eat us both!"

"Like I said, they listen to me. Not you. I'm not worried, but you should be."

He narrows his eyes at her. "You're bluffing."

"Try me."

He backs up, never turning away from the cage, and types in the key code to unlock the outer door. It opens for him and he gestures for her to follow. "Yes, you are bluffing. Now come on, Olivia. It's time we head back to our suite."

She presses her thumb to the gate button, not enough to depress it, just enough to barely touch. "I know what will happen when we get back to the suite. I'm not going anywhere with you."

She's not going to walk to her doom again. Not this time. Instead, she hits her thumb against the button and the gate starts to rise. A deep, rumbling noise vibrates in the backs of the raptors' throats, almost like a purr but it's not a cute and cuddly sound. It's deadly. Threatening. Anticipating. They shuffle their feet in front of the rising gate excitedly, waiting for it to be high enough for them to pass under. Vic is out of the cage and has the door firmly locked behind him before they can get in, of course, but that doesn't stop them from charging in anyway, running into the far wall in a desperate attempt to get at him. They reach their hands and snouts as far through the bars as possible but can't reach him.

Vic backs away, even though he is in no real danger, and stares at her, wide-eyed with surprise and horror. "You're insane!"

"No, I'm not," she says, completely calm despite the four raptors between her and the outer door. "I'm pack."

Vic runs off, tail firmly between his legs. He has no idea what will happen to her. For all he knows, she's about to be eaten, like he said. But still he leaves her, and he probably won't be calling for help because if he does he'd have to explain how this all happened and there's no explanation that won't land him in deep trouble. Still, when the headlights of his car are swallowed by the darkness and the trees, she breathes a sigh of relief. She's never stood up to him like that before, but she knows that if she didn't then the beating she was heading towards would have been unbearable, healing factor or no.

Four Velociraptor heads turn her way and she takes a slight step back out of apprehension. She talked big to Vic, but will it hold to be true? These are skilled hunters standing before her without any barriers between them and her. Nature made them indiscriminate in what they kill. Will they really treat her any differently?

Yes. Yes, they will. They won't hurt her, she knows that, has always known, and the pack bond tells her the same. There is no hunger, no anger, no negative feelings of any kind. They approach her slowly, almost cautiously, as if afraid to scare her. But she sees nothing to be scared of in their auras. There is only concern. For her.

Blue approaches first, the other three hanging back slightly, and chitters.

Liv smiles. "Thanks, ladies. You saved me." She raises a hand but pauses. She knows they're not tame, by any means. They're completely wild and always will be no matter what commands they learn. But just because they're wild, that doesn't mean they'll just all of a sudden bite her hand off without provocation. And she'd never do something like that.

With a deep breath, Liv stretches her hand forward and places it on the top of Blue's snout.

Blue sniffs, the noise loud, deep, scenting her. And then she nudges her head into Liv's hand, leaning into the touch.

Liv laughs, relieved and happy, stroking the top of Blue's head. At the same time, she holds out her other hand to Charlie, Delta, and Echo. They immediately step forward, surrounding her as they bump their noses into her sides and back, also wanting attention. Liv turns to each of them, petting and cooing affectionately, and they soak it up happily.

This is her pack. Her family. A couple of ferocious dinosaurs who could easily tear her apart. Instead, they nuzzle against her, expressing only love.

Blue chirps at her and Liv turns to the raptor. Blue's aura is questioning and she bops her nose against one of the places Vic had hit her. The touch is surprisingly gentle. Liv would have thought they would be a little rough with her, unused to needing to hold back their own strength, but they are as careful with her as they would be with an egg. It makes her smile just a little bit more.

"It's okay," Liv says, feeding them reassurance through the pack bond. "I heal fast. I'm all better now. Nothing to worry about."

It's true. Vic only gave her bruises and they are long since healed by now. Blue still doesn't feel very convinced, though, so Liv steps close to her side, wrapping her arms around the raptor's thick neck. One of Blue's hands rests against her stomach, claws sharp enough to gut her with a flick of the wrist, but Liv isn't worried.

"Seriously, I'm okay," Liv whispers, leaning her head against Blue's neck. "Thanks to all of you, I'm okay."

A deep rumbling builds in Blue's chest, Liv can feel it vibrating in her own body, but this purr is filled with pleasure and contentment. Liv's arms tighten around her and she just holds on for a moment, feeling completely safe in this circle of raptors. After being so sure Vic's anger would smother her, it's a nice feeling. The others press in closer at her back and she hums happily. She's just so happy and grateful to have met these raptors. She can't imagine being without them now.

Eventually, Liv pulls away, rather reluctantly, and eyes the cage door over Blue's shoulder. There's no way she's getting out of here on her own and, unfortunately, her cell phone is in her backpack, which is still sitting on the back of her ATV. So unless one of the trainers randomly comes back to the Research Center tonight, she's stuck in here until morning.

And she's not even going to  _think_  about the morning. How is she going to explain getting stuck in here?

She sighs heavily. "Looks like I'm having a sleepover at your place tonight, ladies. Got a place I can crash?" Unsure if they understand, Liv lets them feel her exhaustion. It's been a very long, highly emotional day, and that's just the past hour. All Liv wants to do now is pass out and not wake up for at least three days. Maybe then things will be better.

Charlie is the first to move, trotting away a few steps and then barking at Liv. She gets the hint, following the raptor further into the paddock. Blue and Delta take up positions on either side of her and Echo brings up the rear, all of them continuously looking around as if expecting Vic or some other threat to come popping out of the bushes or to suddenly appear on the catwalk.

Their paranoia is both reassuring and completely adorable.

There are spotlights on the upper walls of the paddock when they're needed but they're all off now, leaving the enclosure in complete darkness. As soon as they step into the thick foliage Liv can no longer see a thing, not even making it ten steps before she's tripping over a root or something. She steadies herself with a hand on Delta's back and the raptor steps a bit closer, offering her support and helping to guide Liv through the jungle. It's not long until they come to an area that's a bit clearer than everywhere else, allowing a bit of moonlight to shine through the trees. Just barely, Liv can make out a big pile of hay on the ground that she recognizes as the raptors' nest.

She's never actually seen them in the nest before. They're always up and about by the time she gets to the paddock. She knows they use it though by the worn, flattened spot in the middle. They sleep here every night unless there's a storm, then they hunker down in the stables.

Now, however, it looks like Liv will be joining them.

Charlie circles around to the far side, looking at her expectantly, and Echo lightly pushes against her back. She spares a reluctant glance for her school uniform, knowing that no matter where she lays it's going to get dirty, but she is already kind of dirty after Vic beating her in the cage earlier. This is probably a better place to sleep than the cold hard ground anyway so Liv gets in the nest, sitting down in the surprisingly soft hay but a little unsure as to how to go from here. Will they even all be able to fit with her as well? Blue gets in next, sitting down behind Liv kind of like a chicken with her legs folded under her but her tail and head stretched out on the hay. Delta and Echo get in next on either side, quickly making it kind of crowded, so Liv shifts closer to Blue and hesitantly lays against her side, using the raptor as a pillow. Liv bites her lip, wondering if this is okay, but Blue gives that bone-deep purr again so it must be just fine. Charlie gets in last and there's a little bit of shuffling around as everyone tries to get comfortable. The raptors don't seem to mind half-lying on top of one another so Liv does the same, stretching her legs out a little. Charlie is quick to settle her head on top of them and Liv laughs. There's only a bit more squiggling around until they all finally settle, a big puppy pile of raptors and a human. They're warm around her, not stifling but more like a warm fuzzy blanket, and she quickly finds her eyes closing.

She forces them to stay open, though, so she can examine Owen's necklace. Running her fingers over it and squinting in the moonlight, she finds that it's still in one piece with nothing broken, just a little dirty. Sighing in relief, she makes a new knot in the leather and puts the necklace back around her neck where it belongs. Only then does she allow her eyes to close.

"Goodnight, ladies," she says softly to her pack and she hears their answering chirrups before drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Vic has struck, and for the first time Liv actually fights against him. The raptors have saved her this time, protecting her because she is theirs, but can she really go back to him after all of that?
> 
> You'll have to wait for Tuesday to find out.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	15. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I had such good feedback, it took my breath away. I'm so glad you all liked it. In fact, there's even been a request for some fan art of Liv in the raptor puppy pile at the end. Now, I'm not that good of an artist, but if any of you would like to take on the job, be my guest. I will even make the picture the cover photo for this story.
> 
> Alright, now for the chapter you all have been waiting for. I won't keep you waiting any longer.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Owen's fingers tap impatiently on the handlebars as he drives his bike down the service road towards the Research Center, wishing to go faster but that would be dangerously stupid on these roads, especially with no helmet. He texted Liv last night, asking if she wanted to go out to the paradise again tomorrow, but she never answered. He even tried calling but it just went to voicemail. A pebble of unease is rolling around in the pit of his stomach but he's probably, hopefully, overreacting. She was probably already asleep by then and she's still sleeping now. She is a teenager, after all. Her sixteenth birthday was only a couple weeks ago. Teenagers like to sleep late.

But she always answers her phone because she knows how he worries. Right now, he's worrying that Vic has done something to her, again, and again Owen wasn't able to protect her.

The sight of Liv's ATV already parked in front of the Research Center should be a relief but for some reason it isn't. Liv has never gotten here before him, not even during the internship when she was required to get here early. He gets here at seven-thirty every day and the earliest he's ever asked her to get here was eight. What would make her get here early?

Liv isn't the only early one he sees as he parks his bike. Barry's ATV is already here and their college intern, Matt, is just climbing up to the catwalk to get eyes on their ladies to see how they're doing this morning. The others should be arriving soon though. He hops off his bike, thinking he'll probably find Liv in the Center with Barry, when a cry of alarm stops him cold.

"Help! Somebody help!" a voice yells and the intern appears at the top of the stairs, eyes rounded in horror so that the whites of his eyes can be seen even from where Owen is standing.

"What's going on?" Barry asks, bursting out through the doors of the Research Center.

"T-There's someone in the paddock," the intern stammers. "They're in the nest and the raptors are in there with them!"

"Who?" Owen asks, already rounding the paddock to get to the cage. "Can you tell if they're alive?"

"I-I can't tell but…I think it's that girl. Liv Hoskins."

The pebble in his stomach turns into a boulder and  _drops_.

Before he can even think it his feet are running, but when he makes it to the cage he comes to a jarring halt and stares, not wanting to believe.

The outer door is, thankfully, locked up tight but the inner gate is wide open. Either the raptors somehow figured out a way to reach the button on their own or….

"Oh, Liv, what did you do?" Owen whispers, mind-numbing fear tearing at his chest. He lunges for the keypad but before he can start punching in the numbers Barry catches his arm.

"Owen, what do you think you are doing?" Barry asks in alarm. "You can't go in there!"

"I have to get her out," Owen says, voice hard, and shrugs Barry off him.

"Owen," Barry places a hand on his shoulder, gentle this time, his face full of sadness and sympathy. "She is surely dead, Owen. There is nothing you can do for her by going in there. You will only get yourself killed as well."

Owen grits his teeth, forcing those words out of his head. "I'm going in there," he insists, typing out the code and opening the outer door. "I'm getting her out…one way or another."

* * *

The soft drumming sound is what wakes her. There's a steady thrumming in her ear, almost like a heartbeat, but it can't be Liv's heartbeat. It's much too fast. And that bright light. Her eyes scrunch up against it, face turning into her pillow. What did she do, fall asleep without turning off the lights?

Wait, why is her pillow  _moving_?

With that, the memories finally resurface. She spent the night with the raptors. After Vic beat her and then locked her in the paddock. Obviously, he didn't report it, just like she knew he wouldn't, but she pushes those thoughts away. There's no need to face this day yet. She is quite comfy with her raptors. Who knew a pile of hay and a Blue-shaped pillow could be so comfortable?

Based on their auras, the raptor squad is already awake but none of them have moved from their bed yet either, not wanting to disturb her. She'd feel guilty about that but they feel just as content as she does. Her lips pull up into a small smile. Guess raptors can be lazy, too.

Then someone starts shouting and she groans internally. So much for sleeping in.

One of the raptors move at the sound, Delta maybe? She can't remember who ended up on what side, only that Charlie's head is still pillowed in her lap. Surprisingly, her legs haven't fallen asleep, the weight not being as heavy and uncomfortable as she thought it would be.

There's some more yelling, the clang of the outer door unlocking, and then the fast footfalls and rustling of someone running through the jungle towards them. Whoever it is stops several feet away and then she hears Owen's rough, terrified voice, "Liv?"

That gets her eyes to open. Why does Owen sound terrified?

She peers blearily at him and he certainly does look terrified, his entire body tense and his hands clenched at his sides. "Hey, Owen," she says, voice groggy with sleep. "What's up?"

"Oh, thank God," he breathes, sagging in relief. "I-I thought you were dead."

Her brow furrows in confusion. She's doesn't know what time it is but she's still pretty sure it's too early in the morning for this. "Why in the world would you think that? If I was dead because of these four I would be in pieces. Or at least bloody." She shrugs, still too lazy to be bothered to get up and the four raptors feeling the same isn't helping. "Besides, it's not like they'd ever actually intentionally hurt me. I'm pack. We've already established this."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything, Liv," Owen says, starting to get frustrated as his terror gives way to anger. "They could still turn on you in a heartbeat if they feel like it. Just because you're pack, that doesn't mean they won't. What are you even doing in here?  _How_  did you get in here?"

Her mouth clamps shut into a thin line. She doesn't know how to answer that question. She doesn't know the key code. He knows that. He's always been careful not to let her find out what it is. Any answer that doesn't involve outside help, he isn't going to believe.

Echo growls at Owen, getting to her feet but not moving from Liv's side. She must sense Liv's growing anxiety and has established Owen as the cause. Not entirely accurate, but Echo has always been the shoot first, ask questions later type. The others stand as well, forcing Liv to sit up. They're not growling like Echo, simply staring on, but they are willing to back her up if something happens.

"Whoa, easy, Echo!" Owen tells the raptor, holding his hand out, palm out, and not backing away, though he is a lot more cautious. He looks Echo in the eye, still very much aware of the others, and exuding the authority of alpha that Liv can see pulsing directly along the bond. "Come on, ladies. I am not a threat, I'm your alpha. And please don't prove me right by eating me anyway."

After one last growl, though nowhere near as fierce, Echo lowers her head a little in submission. Owen lowers his hand and straightens, still wary but knowing the immediate danger is past. Liv can tell he still doesn't trust that they won't eat him given the chance, but that's more through experience than actual distrust. If this research project was on tigers and not Velociraptors, then that would definitely be the case. Tigers wouldn't care. Owen could have made himself alpha to them and they would tolerate it, but they would just as soon eat him as listen to him in a situation like this, if he was ever this close to them without cage bars in between.

But the raptor squad is different. For one thing, they're far more intelligent. They're the most intelligent animals on the planet. And they share a bond, with not only Owen but her as well. The pack bond has grown stronger than what should be possible for humans and wild animals to share. But it's there, beating in time with their loyalty, and it tells Liv that they will never harm Liv or their alpha.

Sighing, Liv stands and places a soothing hand on Echo's neck. Deep down, Echo knows Owen would never hurt her, but after last night, all of them are a little on edge. They're scared someone will try to hurt her again. "It's okay, ladies," she coos softly. "Owen is just worried is all. He won't hurt me."

Owen looks between them curiously, that worry evident on his face. "What happened, Liv? How did you get in here and what's got them so on edge?"

Liv doesn't look at him, just focuses on her hand stroking along Echo's hide. She can't deny that anything is wrong, but what would happen if she told him the truth? "We had a bit of a scare last night is all," she supplies instead, "but everything's fine now. They took care of me."

"That's not gonna be good enough, Liv. You couldn't have gotten in here without help. Who let you in the cage?"

This is the moment of truth, isn't it? Like with her being a mutant. She's been pushed into a corner and there's no way out of it without coming clean. She closes her eyes, taking a moment to look at this objectively. She already did that a lot last night, but things are different now. She actively defied Vic last night. To go back to him now would be to invite a worse punishment than whatever he was already thinking of, and last night he scared her so much she allowed herself to be trapped inside the paddock with the raptors.

He was already angry and she just made things worse. He'll take her away from Owen now, for sure. The raptors, too, especially since they helped her.

She can't let that happen. She doesn't want to lose the only good things in her life.

She can't do this anymore. Everything will change, far more than it ever has before, but she can't go on like this.

"I-I'll tell you," she says quietly. Swallowing around the lump in her throat, unsure if it is tears or slight panic, she opens her eyes and looks up at him. "I'll tell you everything."

She thought it would be harder to say those words but surprisingly it's not. It's a bit of a relief actually, knowing she's finally going to be able to stop lying, stop hiding, stop watching what she says and how she acts. Sure, she's still scared, but the knowledge that's she's finally going to be able to relieve herself of this burden she's been carrying for so long is…nice.

It's easy to tell the moment he understands what she's trying to say. She can see it in the widening of his eyes and his mouth twitches in an aborted smile. He wants to be happy that she's finally telling him, but he also knows what she has to say isn't going to be pretty and it's going to be hard for her. Still, there's pride shining in his eyes and it makes her feel like she's doing the right thing.

"Can we go somewhere else though?" she asks, eying the men gathered on the catwalk, ready for action but seeming to realize that it won't be needed. "Somewhere private?"

"Yeah. Of course." He holds out his hand, knowing the only way to take her away from the raptors is if she goes herself, and she takes it, gripping a little too hard but he doesn't seem to mind. Good, because her nerves are kind of shot with what's to come and she needs something to steady herself. "Come on, let's get out of here."

He leads the way back to the cage, the raptors walking with them, surrounding them like guards like they did for her the night before. They stop at the tree line, allowing her and Owen to move on towards the cage, but before they can pass through the inner gate Blue barks out in alarm. Liv looks back at them in concern and their auras are filled with nervousness and anxiety. For her. She holds out her free hand and with a bit of a visual command through the bond, urges Blue to come to her. The raptor approaches swiftly, uneasy with the idea of Liv leaving her side.

"It's okay, Blue," she says softly so that Owen is the only other person to hear her. "I'll be fine. Whatever happens, Owen will protect me." She looks over her shoulder at him, eyes questioning, hoping, almost begging. "Right?"

Jaw clenching, he pulls her into his side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I'll always protect you." He presses a warm kiss to her brow and then mumbles softly, "Always. I'll make sure he never hurts you again."

She closes her eyes against the words and the tears threatening to overwhelm her. She always knew he already knows but this is the closest he's ever come to actually admitting it. They've known each other for over two years and this is the closest they've ever come to actually admitting what is wrong.

And now Liv is going to go the rest of the way.

With one final pat to Blue she follows Owen into the cage. He closes the gate, separating them from the raptors once more, and then he unlocks the outer door to let them both out.

Liv takes in a big, deep breath through her nose. It's good to be free again. Though she did enjoy her time in the paddock, she is smelly and dirty and really just wants a nice long shower. But she can't go back to her suite. Her father might be there and she needs to avoid him as much as possible. All of a sudden Liv feels like a wayward child. Does she even have a place to call home anymore? In the basest sense, the suite on the island and her mom's apartment are both her homes, the places where she lives, sleeps, eats. But by taking this step she's going to be losing that.

Taking her hand again, Owen tugs her towards their vehicles, taking Liv's backpack off of her ATV and then leading her to his bike.

He seems to know exactly where she's going. At least someone does. She feels so out of her depth with this. It's worse than when she fessed up to being a mutant. Nothing really changed with that revelation. With this, though,  _everything_  is about to change.

Owen holds out her backpack to her and she takes it, shrugging it on while he hops on his bike. "Come on," he says. "We'll go to my place, you can get cleaned up, and then we'll talk."

She smiles in relief, both for being able to get clean and for putting off the inevitable conversation for a little bit longer. She climbs on the bike behind him but before they have a chance to take off Barry approaches.

"Are you alright, Liv?" he asks, and she realizes that Owen wasn't the only one who was worried about her, that for a few sickening minutes they both feared she was dead. Glancing at the other trainers who are trickling into the Research Center now that the excitement is over and it's obvious she's fine, she sees that they all were worried, too, but especially Barry. She's liked getting to know him as he helps her learn to control her abilities. She considers him something akin to the favorite uncle, if she had any uncles. Both of her parents are only children.

"You're coming, too," she says decidedly.

Barry's brow furrows in confusion. "Pardon?"

"Grab you're ATV. You're coming, too. There's something I need to tell you. Both of you. Something I should have confessed a long time ago."

* * *

Liv is thankful she had her backpack with her when everything happened last night. Not only does it mean she doesn't have anything of hers left in the suite, since everything she brings to the island just basically stays in her backpack and she doesn't leave anything here when she goes back to Miami, but it also means she has her toiletries and extra clothes to change into. Her school uniform is basically ruined, covered in dirt and grime and a substance that might be Velociraptor drool from Charlie but she's not willing to find out. Liv throws the outfit in the trash after her shower and then pulls on a comfy pair of sweats and a baggy shirt. She takes the time to brush out her hair and pull it into a high ponytail, then carefully packs all of her belongings back in her backpack.

She pauses, staring down at her hands. They're shaking a little.

There's no more procrastinating. No more hiding in the bathroom.

She glances at the closed door. No more hiding from the truth.

With a deep breath she shoulders her backpack and steps out into the hall. A quick glance in both directions shows neither Owen nor Barry in the bedroom, kitchen, or dining area, so she plops her backpack on the dining table and then turns the corner into the living room. Barry is sitting in the armchair, Owen in his customary spot on the couch, both staring at the blank T.V. screen but they look up when she enters. She shuffles her feet a little bit, hesitating in the doorway, but when Owen holds out his hand to her again she goes to him, sitting next to him on the couch and holding onto his hand for dear life.

She feels like she's about to jump off a plane with a faulty parachute that may or may not work properly. There's a strange sense of…fate to the situation though. Like everything she's been through since meeting Owen has been leading to this moment. He knew something was wrong from the start, had asked her to tell him if her father ever did anything to her that she didn't like, so it's almost as if Owen finally learning the truth, a truth he's always known no matter how hard she tried to avoid it, it's like it's meant to be.

She can't decide if that makes it less scary or more.

They wait her out. They don't ask questions, they don't push, they just patiently wait for when she's ready to start. But how is she supposed to voice a secret she's held deep inside herself for so long? She's always been terrified of the repercussions of someone finding out, she still is.

But Owen, Barry, and the raptors are on her side. They've promised to keep her safe. Surely they'll be enough?

Eyes firmly on the coffee table, because she can't stand to look at either of them at the moment, Liv begins, "Like I said, this is something I should have told you a long time ago but…it's hard to say, even now. I'm scared of what will happen if he…if he finds out, but I don't think I can stand living like this anymore, especially after last night." She takes in a deep breath, steeling herself. "My dad, Vic, he…he's been…."

She takes another deep breath, feeling tears choking at her throat. Why is it so hard to say that word? Why is it so hard to admit the truth? It's not like they don't already know, all she has to do is finally voice it so that they can start helping her. But she doesn't like to acknowledge that it exists, that this is something that has happened to her. When she's with Owen and Barry and the raptors, she likes to pretend that none of it ever happened, that he is just a shadow at the back of her mind but can't get to her when she's with them. She needs to acknowledge it now, though, because it is the only way she can ever hope to move forward towards something better.

"My dad abuses me," she lets out on a whimper. It's out there now. There's no taking it back, so the only thing she can do is keep going. "It started when I was little, before we found out I was a mutant. My mutation actually manifested because of the…because of the beatings. It healed me, and then he…and then Vic used it as an excuse to hurt me even more. I heal in minutes now. It gets rid of any sign that he even touched me."

Owen squeezes her hand, drawing her gaze, and she looks up into his worried face. "Liv, this is going to be a difficult question but I have to ask. Has your dad ever touched you…inappropriately?"

Her eyes widen and she shakes her head furiously. "No! No, he's never done anything like that."

"Are you sure? You can tell us if he did. It's okay."

"No, never anything like that. Just hit me."

A shiver of revulsion slithers up her spine at what Owen's suggesting. No, her father has never touched her sexually and she is very thankful for that.

Owen and Barry are thankful too. They both let out relieved sighs and then Barry asks, "What about your mother? She has no idea this has been going on?"

"No. I've never told her. Vic said he would do…bad things if I ever told anyone. She doesn't even know I'm a mutant."

"And she never noticed anything was wrong or out of the ordinary?"

She snorts humorlessly. "Notice? No, she doesn't notice a lot of things. She doesn't even notice I'm there most of the time, and that's just when she's actually home." She looks down at her lap, chest tightening with her tears but she's so tired of crying. "Neither of them care about much when it comes to me. They keep track of my grades, have rules in place so I can't have any friends in order to better focus on school, and that's about it."

"And what happened last night?" Owen asks. "How did you end up in the raptor paddock?"

"It was kind of my own fault, I guess," she admits. "Vic's been so preoccupied lately, not getting home until really late, so I've been pushing the boundaries of my curfew, staying out later than he wanted. I got caught last night. I was at the paddock, thinking about doing this, actually." She raises her hand to indicate the three of them. "I was thinking about telling you guys everything, but then Vic found me outside the cage and started yelling at me and hitting me. I tried to run away but he caught me and locked us both in the cage. I don't know the key code so I couldn't get out. He started hitting me some more but then the raptors charged at the cage, scaring him. I saw my only chance and went for the gate controls."

Owen's eyes widen incredulously. "So you deliberately opened the inner gate?"

"It was the only thing I could think of," she says a little defensively. It's not like she had a death wish or anything. "I knew the raptors weren't going to hurt me. They were trying to protect me. And it worked. They scared off Vic but he ended up locking me in there so he could get away."

Fury flashes in his eyes. "So Vic basically left you in there? He didn't call it in or anything?"

"No," she says, voice sounding hallow. "No, he didn't, and I'm pretty sure he was convinced they'd eat me."

Owen lets go of her hand to pull her into his side and she burrows into him. "I'm sorry, Liv. I'm so, so sorry. We're going to help you, okay? We're going to do whatever it takes to get you away from him. From  _both_  your parents, if that's what you want. You deserve so much better."

The tears spill over then, because that's exactly what she was hoping to hear, but she's also scared that it'll mean she'll be taken away from him as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now they know the truth. It's time to get Liv out of this mess, and Owen is willing to do whatever it takes, no matter what. The ball is in motion and we'll see where it rolls next chapter.
> 
> Next update will be Friday.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	16. Finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it is that time once again. We don't get a lot of Liv in this chapter, it's all actually in Owen's POV, but that's because it's time to get the ball rolling to get Liv away from Vic.
> 
> And who better to help than Claire?
> 
> I'm kind of conflicted in how I feel about this chapter. A part of me wanted to show the attraction between Owen and Claire more, have them flirt or whatever, but another part of me felt that it would have been out of place at a time like this. Liv needs help and that's what's important right now. I tried to blend the two so hopefully it turned out well.
> 
> Also, just to warn you, and I've said this in other fics before, but my understanding of law is not that great, even after doing research. And I did do research, but yeah, I probably got some of this stuff wrong. Okay, a lot of it. Please don't hate me for it. Remember, this is only fanfiction.
> 
> Okay, go onward and enjoy!

The past few hours have been so emotionally exhausting that Owen isn't surprised when Liv passes out when all is said and done. He carries her to his bedroom and tucks her into bed. She looks so small now, curled up in his huge bed and having bled her heart out for him and Barry to see. She also looks a lot bigger, too, because that couldn't have been easy. He knows she's still really scared about the future and of her dad, but Owen plans on doing all that he can for her.

She's going to get a happy ending. Even if he has to tear Vic apart with his bare hands to do it.

So he doesn't wait, even though he'd like nothing more than to get some sleep too. He leaves Liv with Barry to look after her and then goes to the only other person on this island he trusts to help him.

Claire isn't exactly happy to see him, she's still a little sour about how their date turned out, but when he says it's about Liv she agrees to squeeze him in between two meetings.

"You only have a fifteen minute window, Mr. Grady," Claire informs him, sitting behind her desk. "Make it count and make it good."

He settles in the seat across from her, taking in a deep breath, and just jumps right in. "Vic is abusing Liv."

Claire's eyes widen and she straightens in her seat, any ill feelings towards him pushed to the back burner. "Do you have proof now?"

"Liv finally came to me and Barry and told us herself. We don't have any physical proof, but that's why I came to you. I need your help to get what we need and file charges against her dad, maybe her mom too if we can."

"And you're sure she wasn't lying? Kids make outrageous claims sometimes when seeking attention."

Owen glares at her. "Do you really think Liv would lie about something like this? Does she really seem like the type to do something like that?"

Claire frowns. "Well, no-"

"Exactly. I told you before, I've had my suspicions about the abuse ever since I met her but I could never get any proof and Liv wouldn't tell me about it until now." He crosses his arms in front of his chest, leaning back in his chair. "Come on, Claire. Are you really still not seeing it? How could you not, after all this time?"

Claire sits there in silence for several minutes, looking numb. He doesn't mean to blame her or anything. Just make her realize what's been right in front of her all this time. She helped him with the internship, but nothing really came of that, at least not right away, so she probably pushed it all to the back of her mind. But now, she needs to face the truth, that Vic has been abusing Liv right under her nose all this time. She needs to be on board with this or it'll be a lot harder to succeed. Vic is powerful, the head of InGen security, but here on the island, Vic answers to Claire.

When she finally meets his eyes she picks up her desk phone, pushes a button, and says, "Zara, cancel all of my appointments for the rest of the day. Yes, all of them. Even that one; reschedule it for tomorrow morning. Something urgent just came up."

She returns the phone to its cradle with a clunk and Owen can't help but smile a little victoriously. "So you'll help?"

By way of answer she pulls her tablet closer to her on the desk, taps a few things, and then starts to write with a stylus. "Obviously, in order for this to work, we need proof, just like in any other police investigation. Child abuse cases are tricky. Getting the proof necessary to separate a child from his or her parents can be difficult. Any witnesses we can gather would help; anyone who's actually witnessed something that can be constituted as abuse."

He narrows his eyes at her suspiciously. "You seem to know an awful lot about child abuse cases. I thought we'd have to do research or something."

Claire shifts in her seat a little uncomfortably. "When you first mentioned your suspicions I may have…taken it upon myself to do the research already. Just in case."

His mouth falls open in shock, heart swelling with such gratitude that she would do this for Liv, for him. She had no reason to believe that any of this would become necessary besides his word, but she did it anyway. "You are a beautiful, wonderful person, Claire Dearing."

"Thank you," she says with a blush, something that makes him smile and want to make her do again. "So is there anyone you have in mind for a witness?"

Filing this moment away in his mind, Owen returns to the task at hand and thinks her question over for a moment. "No one really jumps out at me. Vic's always been really careful while out in public, which is why I didn't jump on this sooner. Not to mention, everyone's kind of afraid of him. I'll ask around though. Someone may have been scared to come forward before, but if they know we're moving to put him away now, they may be willing to help. No one else has ever really gotten close to her before because of Vic, but I know everyone here loves Liv."

Claire glances up at him with a small smile, stylus never pausing in her writing. "Yes, that is true, even for me. She's the only kid I've ever actually been able to stand."

He lets out a small chuckle. "She definitely grows on you. So what else?"

"Well, besides witnesses, there's the physical proof. Medical records would be a big help."

Owen cringes. "Actually, they wouldn't."

None of Liv's medical records are going to show signs of abuse, not even x-rays. Her mutation would have taken care of all of that, healing her like new.

"What, do you think Vic has done something to them?"

Owen hates to lie, but he promised Liv he wouldn't tell her secret without permission, so he builds on Claire's own suspicions. "Something like that. Vic has a lot of pull through InGen and all of Liv's medical needs have been taken care of here, on the island. He probably bought out the doctor or at the very least got rid of all the evidence already. Either way, he's careful. He knows how to hurt her without leaving a permanent mark."

Not exactly true, but not exactly a lie either.

"You're probably right." She huffs in frustration. "Well, besides medical records, we may be able to find something on surveillance. This island has cameras everywhere. If Liv can recall a time and date when he did something that could have been caught on camera we can pull those records. If we can catch him on film that would be a big help. We wouldn't even need medical records.

Owen's eyes widen. "Yesterday, at the paddock. He beat her last night in the cage. There are cameras in there."

Claire grins, the smile almost predatory. "Let's go see what we can find."

She leads the way to the elevator and together they head down to the Control Room. It's full of people busy with the daily operations of the park but Claire goes to one man sitting in the back row closest to the elevator, a man with dark, wild hair, a thick mustache, and thick-framed glasses perched on his nose. His desk area is cluttered with odds and ends, little dinosaur figurines, and is the only decorated desk in the entire room. Owen's never met him personally but automatically decides he likes the man.

"Lowery," Claire says quietly, attempting to get his attention without anyone else noticing, but he doesn't appear to hear her. She bends down and speaks directly into his ear. "Lowery."

Lowery jumps, startled, and swivels in his seat to face them. "Oh, yes, hi, Ms. Dearing. Is there something that I can…." He straightens his glasses, glancing at Owen with a little trepidation. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Claire sighs, mostly exasperated but Owen swears he hears a little fondness in there. "Lowery, this is Owen Grady, our head researcher for the Velociraptor behavioral studies. Mr. Grady, this is Lowery Cruthers, one of our lead park operators."

Lowery straightens in his chair a little proudly at the title. Owen suppresses a chuckle and holds out his hand to him. "Hi, Mr. Cruthers. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he replies, shaking his hand with a surprisingly steady grip. "So is this a social visit or…."

Claire plasters on that fake business smile of hers, eyes casting around to the other people in the room. They need to keep this as quiet as possible so Vic doesn't find out what they're up to. "I need you to pull up the video feeds from the Velociraptor paddock last night but I need you to do it without leaving a trace so no one else finds out."

Lowery shifts in his chair a little uncomfortably. "And why do you need me to do that?"

"It's for Liv," she answers, more emotion in her voice than Owen has ever heard. She really does care about Liv.

"Well, in that case," Lowery turns in his chair, fingers flying over his touch screen, "count me in. I like that kid. Never actually talked to her cause her dad's worse than an angry pachy and I don't have a death wish, but she seems cool." After a few more touches all of the video feeds for the raptor paddock appear on his screen. "Can you narrow it down more than just last night? If not, this may take a while."

"We just need the feeds from inside the cage," Owen says, leaning in behind Lowery for a closer look. "And start at around nine p.m. What we're looking for happened sometime after that."

"And what are we looking for exactly?"

"You'll know it when you see it."

Lowery looks at him over his shoulder nervously, sensing Owen's foreboding, but then gets to work, pulling up the two feeds from the cameras inside the cage and fast-forwarding through the footage. They see Liv standing just outside the cage and Owen tells him to slow down. They watch for a few minutes, waiting for Vic to show up, when the footage turns to static.

The feeds for both cameras during the time Vic beat Liv, they're gone.

Owen swears under his breath. "Of course he would have gotten rid of it already. He was covering his tracks just in case Liv died last night, so no one would find out how she got in there and then see what he did."

"Wait, Liv almost died last night?" Lowery asks but they both ignore him.

"Is there any way to recover the footage, Lowery?" Claire asks a bit desperately.

Lowery gives them a crooked smile and cracks his knuckles dramatically. "Please. Remember who you're talking to." His fingers fly over the computer again, pulling up a black dialog box and entering in some code. "From what I can tell, whoever did this is an armature at best. They left a few crumbs behind. Restoring them is easy and it should give us a couple minutes of video." In no time, Lowery has the two video feeds pulled up again, this time showing Liv on the ground and her father looming over her threateningly. Lowery looks back at them wide-eyed, starting to realize what this is about, and pushes play with a shaky finger.

They watch as Vic kicks her repeatedly. Claire gasps in horror, turning away, but Owen forces himself to watch, his entire body strung tight like a wire about to snap.

This is what Liv's had to endure. This is what he wasn't able to protect her from.

But that is about to change.

The feed turns to static again and Lowery stops it, turning to look at them with an ashen face. "He's…he's been doing stuff like that to her all this time?"

"Yeah," Owen says quietly.

"I never knew. I mean, I knew she and her dad never really got along, but I never thought…." He rubs a hand roughly over his face, displacing his glasses. "I never imagined this."

"It's okay, Lowery," Claire says softly, turning back to them. This is the least composed Owen has ever seen her. She is truly shaken, but then again, being told something and then seeing for herself that it's true, it's different. "I didn't know either. But at least  _I_  should have figured it out. Vic Hoskins is one of my employees, I should have-"

"Hey," Owen says, placing his hand on her shoulder. "None of this is your fault, not any of ours. The only one we should be blaming is Vic. Anything else is only a waste of time. Right now, the best way to help Liv is to get her away from him as fast as possible."

"Where is she now?" Lowery asks. "Is she safe?"

"Yeah, she's back at my bungalow, sleeping. Barry is with her." He suddenly remembers they expect her to be hurt and adds, "She was pretty banged up but she's healing fine."

Lowery nods. "Good."

With a deep breath, Claire calmly recomposes herself, face going back to gentle neutrality and running a hand over her clothes. Owen recognizes it for what it is now, battle armor, a shield against the world, but he's seen what's underneath now, a kind, caring woman, and it makes him smile a little. She nods to him and he lets her go, not needing his support anymore. "Alright, Lowery, I need you to send that footage to me so I can put it under lock and key until we're ready to go to the police. After that, try looking for more…incidents, anything else we can use against him. The more we have, the better."

"You got it," Lowery says with a grin. "Just promise me she's going to be safe now."

"Don't worry," Owen says. "I'll make sure of it, no matter what."

No matter what. That's his mantra now, until this is over.

No matter what.

* * *

"Tell me about her mom," Claire says once they're settled in her office again. "You said you wanted to get Liv away from her as well?"

"Yeah," Owen says. "Liv is miserable with her mom, too. She says it's rare for her mom to actually be at home."

"Alright, that definitely sounds like we have the potential for child neglect. How is she as a provider? Food, shelter, basic needs?"

"Food and shelter she's actually decent at. According to Liv, there's always food in the fridge but she has to make all her meals herself and they live in a nice apartment building. Her mom has a really nice job, but that's the problem. She only cares about her work. She hardly speaks to Liv to where it's practically outright ignoring. She doesn't even remember Liv's birthday, neither of them do."

Claire hums thoughtfully to herself. "This one will be a bit trickier but I don't imagine there will be many problems. The social worker should be able to work with the police to get security footage of the building to prove that her mom is never home and the rest can be said by Liv, maybe even some neighbors. The hardest part will be doing this in two different countries."

Owen's brow furrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"This may be Masrani's island but he only rents it, not owns it. It's leased to him through the Costa Rican government and it's their government that has jurisdiction here, not the United States."

"So Liv's mom will be charged in the United States but Vic will be charged in Costa Rica?"

"Precisely. But don't worry. The Costa Rican government is no more lenient to child abusers than the U.S. and I hear a Costa Rican prison is a lot worse. He'll pay for what he's done."

"Good," Owen says grimly and with a good helping of satisfaction. "So what's our next step?"

"We take care of Vic first since he's the immediate threat. I have some contacts on the mainland through Masrani Global, including at the National Children's Hospital. They have some social workers there who can help us. In the meantime, we stay calm and act like everything is normal. Vic isn't stupid. If he hears even a whisper of what we're up to, he'll run."

"What about Liv? She can't go back to him."

There's no way he's allowing that, not ever again.

"Don't worry, she doesn't have to. She can stay with you. Vic has actually left the island." Owen blinks in surprise at that. "He left early this morning saying he had some business to take care of at the mainland branch of InGen and will be gone for a couple of days."

"It's probably just an excuse," Owen says. "He probably wanted to be close enough to see what would happen after last night but far enough away to where he could run if he needed to."

"That's what I was thinking, too. He should be back in time for when we have everything ready though. It'll probably take us a week or two and we should do this when Liv is on the island anyway."

Claire is so quick and efficient that it blows Owen's mind away. When she used her organization and managing skills on their date it was a pain, but now it is a lifesaver. He can't imagine trying to do all of this on his own. And there's one more thing he needs help with. "Hey, Claire, can you…." He thinks it over one last time and yes, this is definitely something he wants to do. Liv is definitely worth it and he doesn't want to lose her. "Can you also help me find out what I need to do in order to adopt a sixteen-year-old?"

He expects her to be surprised but she's not. Maybe she saw this coming and planned for it too, because she just smiles and says, "Of course."

He wishes their date  _had_  gone well, because right now he could kiss her.

* * *

It's late by the time Owen gets back to his bungalow, even more exhausted than before. Barry is conked out on his couch so he heads towards the bedroom to check on Liv. She's awake, surprisingly, sitting up in bed and looking down at something in her hands with an unreadable expression. He pauses just inside the doorway, unsure what to do or what to say.

"This was taken the day I was born," Liv says without looking up, her voice sounding flat, almost dead, and it scares him a little bit. She's always so full of life. "It's the only family photo I have, of probably the only time they both actually acted like my parents."

Owen walks closer, sitting down on the edge of the bed, and takes the picture from her. It's a picture of Vic and a woman Owen has never seen before, with long brown hair and brown eyes a lot like Liv's. The woman is sitting in a bed wearing a hospital gown and holding a baby in her arms, a little baby Liv. Both she and Vic are looking down at Liv with soft smiles on their faces. It's the kindest look he's ever seen on Vic.

How can her parents go from this to not caring about her at all?

"This is probably the only good moment we had together as a family and I can't even remember it." She takes the photo back and places it almost reverently on the nightstand. "They're my family but now I want nothing more than to get away from both of them." She looks up at him, broken, lost, tears brimming in her eyes. "Did…Did I do something wrong?"

Owen's heart breaks and he slides over on the bed, resting his back against the headboard, and pulling Liv into his side. She clings to him, burying her face in his shoulder, and he can feel her shake as she cries. "No, no, honey, you didn't do anything wrong.  _They_  did it wrong. They're your parents. They're supposed to love you unconditionally for the rest of their lives. They're supposed to take care of you and help you grow, but they didn't do any of those things.  _They_  failed  _you_ , not the other way around. They let their own selfish desires get in the way and that's not fair to you. That's not what parents are supposed to do, so they lost the right to be your parents." He sweeps his fingers through her hair and places a kiss on the top of her head. "And since they don't want you, I guess that means I can have you."

She pulls back abruptly to stare up at him. "What do you mean?" There's hope in her voice, but it's more like she's afraid to hope.

"While you were sleeping I went to Claire."

She bites her lip. "You told her?"

"Had to, Liv," he tells her gently, hoping she won't get mad. "You want to get away from your parents, we needed to tell someone, and there's no better person to help us than her. She and I got everything set up. There's a social worker who's going to come in tomorrow on one of the boats and she's going to look into your case. Once we take care of Vic we'll see what we can do about your mom and then…."

"And then what?" she asks, barely above a whisper.

He smiles. "I'm going to adopt you."

Her eyes grow almost comically wide and it looks like she's hardly breathing. "Really?"

"Yeah. Really. Your parents may not want you but I do. I want you to be a part of my family." He cups the side of her face with one hand, wiping her tears away with is thumb. "I want to be your dad. I can't be your dad by blood but I can be your dad in all the ways that matter. So, what do you say?"

A part of him is kind of afraid she'll say no, even after everything they've said and done, but his worry kind of grows when she doesn't say anything. That is, until she's sitting up on her knees and throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. It's almost too tight but he doesn't care, just hugs her back as he feels that little knot in his chest loosen.

"Thank you," she says, sniffling loudly. "Thank you. Thank you."

"Shh, shh. It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay."

No matter what, he tells himself again. No matter what.

When Liv seems to be all cried out and drifting off to sleep again, Owen lays her back down on the bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. He moves to leave, intending to try to get comfortable in his armchair, but she grabs his hand.

"Please stay," she says, voice groggy as sleep starts to slowly descend on her. "Please…Dad."

He fights with himself for a moment. A father and daughter sleeping in the same bed isn't a weird thing. It happens all the time, especially when the kid needs comfort, like after a nightmare. Still, Owen is keenly aware that he isn't actually Liv's dad and, to outsiders, he could look like a creepy pervert.

But he is her dad. In all the ways that matter. It's not like there really are any creepy, perverted feelings involved. He just wants to comfort her, to take care of her, and she needs it right now.

He squeezes her hand. "I'll be right back. Promise."

Gathering what he needs, he changes for bed in the bathroom, opting to wear a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He then climbs into bed beside Liv, getting under the blanket but leaving the sheets for only her. She's mostly out of it by now but she's awake enough to snuggle against him, letting out a content sigh as she drifts off the rest of the way into sleep. He chuckles softly, wrapping her in his arms and curling around her, like he's trying to protect her from the rest of the world.

It's what a real father would do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* So many feels. Claire is now fully on board with this thing, we got a bit of Lowery, they got security footage so Liv is definitely getting away from Vic, they're all set to try to get her away from her mom, and Owen is going to adopt her. I'm sure you saw that last bit coming.
> 
> Next chapter will be on Sunday. They'll be all set to move in on Vic, but will things go according to plan?
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	17. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! So I know technically it's still Saturday for a lot of you, but where I am it's technically Sunday since midnight passed a little while ago. If I had waited for actual Sunday I wouldn't have been able to post until the afternoon and I didn't feel like waiting that long. I'm an impatient person.
> 
> I've been waiting for this chapter. I've been avoiding responding to reviews in fear that I would give something away since I've been known to do that in previous fics. I just get so excited. So I will bite my tongue and let you get on with it.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

For the first time, Liv doesn't know where to go once she steps off the helicopter.

Normally, she'd go find Vic, but that is definitely not something she wants to do, and Owen, Claire, and her social worker all told her to avoid Vic as much as possible until they're ready to arrest him for child abuse. He'll be taken away, he'll be allowed to gather his own evidence to try and counter their claim, and then they'll go to trial. In the meantime, she's not to go anywhere near him and she is perfectly okay with that.

The thing is, she doesn't know where he is right now so how is she supposed to avoid him? She could find out in the Control Room but what if he's in there?

Running out of options, she pulls out her phone and texts Owen.  _Hey, I'm on the island. What should I do?_

His reply comes a few seconds later.  _Stay low for now. Vic is coming to the paddock for a demonstration soon. Go out into the park. Hide among the tourists. I'll text you when he's gone and then I'll come get you._

_Kk._

She pockets the phone in her backpack and takes the elevator down, crossing her fingers that she doesn't run into Vic, but she makes it down the tunnel, through the security door, and into the Innovation Center without any problems. Deciding going to some of the attractions would be the safest bet, she pushes through the massive doors of the Center and heads out onto Main Street. It's ridiculously busy, just like it always is, so she can't stay in one place too long without risking getting run over by tourists but she doesn't know where she wants to go yet. She's seen all of the attractions dozens of times so it's not like any of it is new. She does still enjoy them though. She likes being able to see the other dinosaurs, has even tried "talking" to some of them like she does the raptors, but without the pack bond she gets mixed results. Something else for her to work on.

First thing's first, if she's going to be out in the park for who knows how long, there is no way she's spending that time in her school uniform. She slips into one of the restaurants and maneuvers through the crowd over to the bathroom, locking herself in one of the stalls so she can change into denim capris, a red tank top, and sneakers. Much more comfortable now, she makes her way down Main Street to where it divides into several paths leading to the monorail or different attractions.

An announcement over the intercom makes the decision for her.

" _The next T-Rex feeding will begin in ten minutes."_

Well, looks like she's going to visit Rexy.

She enters the attraction line just as they're opening the doors to allow people into the long hallway that will take them to the viewing area. On the inside, the viewing area looks like a large half-cylinder with a big glass window on one side, but she knows that on the outside it's made to look like a fallen tree trunk in order to blend in with the jungle of Rexy's paddock. The crowd is quickly gathering in front of the glass and Liv joins them, slithering her way through the crowd until she's right in front of the glass. There are some perks to being small, though not many.

The goat is already tethered to the pole down below, the flare burning next to it. Now it's only a matter of time until Rexy shows up, lured by the light of the flare and the promise of a nice snack.

Something jostles her backpack and Liv looks over her shoulder to see a kid with a mop of fluffy blond hair trying to get to the front of the crowd. She looks him over, making him out to be about a foot shorter than her, and then shrugs. Should be able to still see. She reaches back, grabs him by the sleeve of his plaid shirt, and drags him in front of her.

Yep, she can still see over his head. Perks aside, it's nice to not be the short one for once.

"Thanks," the kid says over his shoulder, giving her a smile that lights up his whole face.

She decides right then that he's completely adorable.

"No problem," she says. "You sure you really want to see this though? It can be bloody sometimes, though nine times out of ten I swears she just eats the thing whole. Makes me wonder if she can even taste it when she scarfs it down that fast."

She's a lot like Charlie in that way.

"Yeah!" He bounces on his toes in excitement, not bothered by the thought of upcoming gore at all. Such a little boy. "How many times have you seen this show?"

"Quite a bit. My…my dad works here."

No matter who she's talking about, whether it be Vic or Owen, the statement is still true. Besides, she wants to start thinking of Owen as her dad since he really will be soon.

"Really? That's awesome! My brother and I have an aunt who works here too."

"Huh." Wow, small world. She looks down and, sure enough, there's a VIP wristband on the boy's wrist, just like hers. "So is your aunt showing you around today?"

He grimaces. "Nah, it's just my brother Zach and me." He nods towards an older boy about her age at the back of the group with dark hair and wearing a jacket even though this is South America. He's not paying attention to the show at all, trying to peer over the crowd waiting for Rexy to show up. Instead, he's busy talking on the phone. Liv wonders if he really finds the park that boring. "Our aunt didn't have time to come with us today. She said she was busy, but she's gonna spend the day with us tomorrow."

He looks so hopeful with that last statement, she hopes it really is true. If Vic made a promise like that to her, she wouldn't even hold her breath. "I'm sure she'll show you a good time tomorrow." Movement catches her eye and she looks over the kid's head and there she is, Rexy in all her prehistoric glory. She nudges the kid's shoulder, motioning with her head. "Look. Here she comes."

Everyone perks up and starts snapping pictures as Rexy comes over, bending down to chomp on her meal. It is a bit bloody this time but no one seems to care. They just keep staring on in morbid fascination as they watch an animal who's eaten human flesh before swallow up a goat.

Sure that no one is paying attention to her, Liv opens herself up to the auras and takes a look at Rexy's. Some people say the T-Rex has a small brain that makes her as dumb as a cow, but Liv begs to differ. Rexy is far from dumb. Right now, she's thinking all these humans in a fake log are pretty strange for watching her eat but is nonetheless willing to put up with it so long as she gets an extra snack. At least, that's the gist of what the dinosaur's emotions are telling her.

With a deep breath, Liv stretches her own aura out to Rexy's, trying to create a bond like what she shares with the pack but nothing that's actually lasting. Just a temporary line of communication. Rexy's head lifts up, her jaws dripping blood a little bit, and stares at the log curiously, her head filling up the entire window she's standing so close. She can feel what Liv is trying to do and Liv pauses, gaging the dinosaur's reaction to make sure she's not going to go hostile at the breach of privacy, but she remains simply curious.

Taking that as encouragement, Liv pushes towards her the feelings and words of a simple greeting.

_Hello._

Rexy snorts, her breath fogging up the glass, and turns to walk away.

Liv frowns. She's not sure if Rexy didn't understand her or if that was her answer. Rexy seems like a dinosaur that would be hard to impress. She has been here longer than anyone, after all, human or dinosaur. Unsure whether to call it a win or a miss, Liv decides to give up for now and pulls back, paying attention to what's around her again.

The crowd is beginning to disperse, heading out another set of doors across from the one's they entered, leading to the exit. The kid is still with her though, standing next to her instead of in front of her now.

"By the way, my name's Gray," the kid says, his smile seeming to be a constant feature on his face.

She holds out her hand to him, her long-ingrained manners coming out automatically. "Nice to meet you, Gray. I'm Liv."

His nose wrinkles like he's fighting a laugh as he shakes her hand. Probably not something he does a lot with other kids. "You here with anybody?"

"Not really. I'm just killing some time until my dad can come and get me."

"You want to hang with Zach and me then? You can help me find something Zach will actually pay attention to, other than girls."

Liv laughs, looking over at Gray's brother to see him standing by the door waiting as people pass him by, staring at them. Well, staring at  _her_. And with this dopey look on his face. "Wow, you weren't kidding. Why is he staring like that?"

"I think he's trying to forget about his last girlfriend. She was kind of a creeper. They were only together for two months and she was already telling him she loved him and was texting him, like, every hour to find out what he was doing."

"Yeah, that does sound like a creeper." And kind of stalker-y. "But if he keeps that up,  _he's_  going to turn into a creeper." And possibly a stalker. "He's gotta stop doing that if I go with you."

"He's really not that bad. I think he just has a hard time talking to girls."

"If you say so." No one's ever looked twice at her before, probably mostly due to her self-imposed isolation because of her parents and their no friends rule, including boyfriends. She's gotten good at disappearing in a crowd. To go from that to this, a guy openly staring at her, it's a bit…disconcerting. She feels out of her element and doesn't like it.

It's only for a couple of hours though, right? And who knows, maybe he won't be so bad once they get to know each other a little bit better. "Alright, I might as well meet him at least."

"Awesome!" Gray grabs her by the hand and drags her towards his brother. She staggers in her steps, almost falling. Gray is surprisingly strong for such a scrawny little boy. But she catches herself and stands before Zach with a small smile.

Well, now what?

"Hey," Zach says, a little uncertain himself.

Gray rolls his eyes and prods the two of them to follow the crowd down the hallway. "Liv, this is my brother, Zach. Zach, this is Liv. I asked if she wanted to hang with us. Her dad works in the park and she's waiting for him to pick her up or something."

"That's cool," Zach says, eyes flitting from her face, to the space just over her shoulder, to watching where they're going. His shyness is sort of endearing and makes her feel not so bad about being shy herself. "Our aunt works here, too, but we've never been here before. You see a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff?"

Liv can't help but think of her up-close tour of the raptor paddock she got last time she was on the island and smiles slyly. "Something like that, yeah."

The two brothers share a confused look but she doesn't comment further. By now, they've exited the T-Rex attraction and are back on Main Street without a destination.

"So, what do you guys want to do?"

"Something other than kids' stuff, please," Zach says, just short of begging.

There's at least a five year difference between Zach and Gray. It can't be easy to have to adjust to the whims of a kid, but she can't help but chuckle a little. "I take it you've been by the Gentle Giants already then." She goes through her mental list of attractions, trying to think of one that would appeal to both brothers despite their separation of age. "What about the Mosasaurus Feeding Show? It's a bit like what they do with the T-Rex but with a few fun twists."

Gray perks up. "Yeah, let's go!" He takes off down the street at a run, heading towards the lagoon. "Come on, let's go!"

Liv stares after him a bit bewildered. "Does he always have that much energy?"

"Yeah, he does." Zach give a long-suffering sigh. "Come on. We better go after him before we lose him."

Despite his words, Zach doesn't run after his brother, he walks at a leisurely pace. Liv follows after him, wondering why they aren't running after the kid, but then she realizes that despite their slower gait, they still never lose sight of Gray.

* * *

It's nice spending time with people who have VIP passes as well. Thanks to their wristbands, they're able to get into the stadium perched in front of the lagoon earlier than anyone else, Liv making sure they take seats in the splash zone. It means they still have a bit of a wait though. She ends up sitting between the two brothers, feeling a bit awkward and casting her eyes around for something to talk about.

"So," she says, drawing the word out, "my dad is just finishing up some work and will be picking me up a bit later. What about your aunt? If you're visiting for the first time, why isn't she with you?"

Both brothers get a dark and distant look on their faces and Liv internally cringes. Of course she brings up a touchy subject as soon as she opens her mouth.

"She was supposed to hang out with us," Gray mumbles, "but she said she couldn't today because of work."

"She stuck us with a babysitter," Zach adds bitterly. "Her assistant or something. We ditched her as soon as we could. Really easy to do since she wasn't paying hardly any attention."

Liv frowns, not really sure how to respond to that. Their aunt must be one of the scientists or something. They're almost always working and they have a ton of assistants. Even the assistants have assistants. But it doesn't matter how busy she is, she still should have taken the day off to be with her family.

"I'm sorry," she says, looking from Zach to Gray. "I know what it's like to have family who's always too busy working to have time for much else."

"Is your dad like that?" Gray asks.

"No, not my dad." Definitely not Owen. He always makes time for her. "But my mom is. I hardly ever see her sometimes."

"That's not right," Zach says, actually sounding a little angry for her. "I mean, our aunt isn't a big deal cause she lives here and we really don't see her anyway. But your parents should be there."

"Yeah, I know," she says softly but with a little smile, "but things are going to get better soon."

"I hope things get better for us, too," Gray says, looking out at the lagoon.

"I'm sure your aunt will find time for you before you leave. How long are you here for?"

"A week."

Her brow raises to her hairline. "A week? You guys skipping out on school for this trip or something?"

Zach leans forward in his seat, elbows on his thighs, not looking at her either. "Our parents fight a lot. It's normal for them. The fights never really last long and everything's always fine after, but…they've been fighting more than normal lately. They thought it better we spend some time with our aunt while they work it out."

Gray is weirdly silent next to her and Liv is sorely tempted to kick herself. There she goes, trampling over another touchy subject again. What have become of her people skills? Though she's only really talked to a handful of people regularly since she's been born, but still. She can do better than this.

So she starts telling them about the island and its residents as tourists continue to fill up the stadium.

She tells them about the Apatosaurus in the Valley. The Gallimimuses running through the plains. The Stegosaurus who laze about along the river as people float by on boats. She tells them about Rexy, about how she's older than any of them, was here way back when this was Jurassic Park. And she tells them about the Velociraptors, her raptor squad. She can't tell them much about that because it's a research project and not open knowledge to tourists, but she tells them what each of the raptors are like. Charlie, the one who acts like the little kid of the group, always running around and wanting to play. Delta, who usually follows Charlie around out of a need to make sure Charlie doesn't get into too much trouble. Echo, who is a bit hardheaded and usually the one causing the trouble. And Blue, the beta of the pack, always serene, majestic even, and looks after the others with a careful but firm hand.

The brothers gradually warm back up into smiles and she smiles back. This is why their parents sent them away. They didn't want their sons to see all the bad going on, and Liv doesn't want them dwelling on it either. They should enjoy themselves while here, in this wonderful, magical place she's starting to seriously consider her home, her true home.

By the time the show starts they're back to relative normal. Zach looks a bit bored at the beginning, playing a game on his phone as the woman running the show talks about the Mosasaurus, but Liv elbows him in the side when they bring the shark out on the crane. He looks up at her curiously, his cheeks maybe a little bit pink but it's hard to tell. She just nods her head towards the water and he turns to look just as the Mosasaurus breaches the water, leaping up in the air to grab her snack. As she slams back down into the water a huge wave splashes up over the glass wall of her enclosure to drench the splash zone of the stadium, including the three of them. Zach and Gray look shocked and she laughs, big and bright. The stadium gives a sudden jerk and then the seating begins to lower, bringing the audience down to a lower level so they can get a look at the Mosasaurus underwater.

Both brothers grin at her and she considers this a win.

* * *

They're coming out of the stadium when Liv's phone rings. She digs it out of her pocket, half fearing it's Vic demanding to know where she is and why she hasn't checked in with him yet, but the caller ID shows it to be Owen and she inwardly laughs at herself.

She answers it, "Hey."

" _Hey, kiddo, I'm about ready to come pick you up. Where you at?"_

"I'm just getting out of the Mosasaurus show."

He groans.  _"You're soaking wet, aren't you."_

"Maybe," she says, neither confirming nor denying but not sounding very convincing all the same.

" _I'm coming on my bike,"_ he whines.  _"You're gonna get_ me _wet."_

"I'm mostly dry," she protests, picking at her still-damp tank top. "Sort of. It's hot enough here I'll probably be dry by the time you get here anyway."

" _I hope so. Anyway, I should be there in about fifteen minutes. Meet me in the souvenir shop next to the lagoon, alright? Vic is still at the paddock right now but I don't know how long he'll stick around or where he'll go afterwords."_

"Okay, sounds good." She contemplates asking if Vic asked about her, if he even realized she should be here by now and checking in with him, but she shakes that thought from her head. Vic won't matter anymore. The social worker and a couple of Costa Rican police are coming by to start the ball rolling tomorrow. That's all that matters. "See you soon….I love you, Dad."

His voice is softer when he replies and she can hear the smile in it.  _"Love you too, Liv."_

She hangs up and puts her phone back in her pocket, her chest feeling light and warm. She's never ended a phone call with "I love you" before. It feels nice.

"Was that your dad?" Zach asks, and she turns to see him and Gray still waiting for her.

"Yeah, it was," she says, a little regretfully. "I have to wait for him to come get me in the souvenir shop."

"Oh," Gray says, sounding disappointed too. "Well, thanks for hanging out with us."

"No problem. I had fun with you guys." She bites her lip, thinking, and then decides to go for it. It's not like having friends is going to be against the rules anymore. She pulls out a pen and index card from her backpack and scrawls out her phone number. "Here," she says, handing the card to Zach. "If you guys ever come back to the island, give me a call. We'll hang out again."

"Y-Yeah," Zach says, cheeks slightly pink again as he pockets the card. "That, uh, that sounds good."

She smiles shyly and the three of them part with a wave.

Yeah. Friends. Real friends her own age. Well, at least one of them is. Still, it's progress. Progress towards the life she actually wants.

"Oh, and I recommend you go to Gyrosphere Valley next!" she calls after them. "It's the best!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at the movie! So, at what point did you realize the movie had started? You guys have been asking so many questions about how I'm going to deal with Vic and most of your ideas are different than what happened in the movie, but there's the problem right there: I really, really want Vic to get eaten by the raptors. And if I had taken care of Vic, had him arrested and taken away from Liv etc., I wouldn't have been able to do that. So, movie time.
> 
> So many other things to talk about, where do I even start?
> 
> First, I guess there's the timeline. I know I smudged it a bit, like exactly when Zach and Gray went to each exhibit compared to what goes on with Owen and Claire and the Indominus. That's mostly because I wrote all of this before the movie came out on DVD, but also because I have a strict order in my head as to how everything needs to play out. I also changed when Zach and Gray actually take the trip. In the movie, it was around Christmas time because I remember the Christmas music and there being snow at their house, but in my timeline it's late February, early March at the latest, and a little after Liv's sixteenth birthday. I did it to stay compliant with the fact that the raptor project is at least two years old, meaning the raptors are at least two years old.
> 
> Second, I changed the situation with Zach and his girlfriend. A majority of that is because, like what was in the chapter, she came off as a total creeper. I don't see how he put up with it. Also, if you hadn't noticed, I'm going to do a bit Zach/Liv, but only minimal. That is not the main focus of this fic and that isn't going to change.
> 
> Third, I found writing Zach hard. Some of it is because I thought Zach was a little bit of a creeper too (seriously, how did those girls not find his weird staring creepy?), but I tried to play with it.
> 
> Aaaaaand, I think that's it. Next chapter will be Tuesday. It'll probably be the most cannon compliant of them all, especially with the movie dialogue, but there are a few fun twists. After that, I took the movie and had a ton of fun tossing it in a blender. Seriously, my brain went places I didn't even expect when starting this fic but I love them.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	18. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry it's later in the day than usual. My day has been super busy, but I haven't forgotten about you guys.
> 
> This chapter is probably the most movie-compliant of them all, as I've said before, but there are a few add-ins and differences.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

When Owen picks her up they head back to his bungalow. He can't take her back to the paddock just in case Vic is still there and there's not much else work for him to do there anyway.

And Owen takes the time to show her the plans for the expansion of his bungalow.

"You plan on doing all this…for me?" Liv asks, unable to keep the astonishment out of her voice. She figured she'd just sleep on his couch or something, and she will have to do that while construction is underway, but he plans on adding a bedroom and extra bathroom for her.

"Of course I'm doing it for you," he says. "Your social worker said I can't adopt you unless I'm capable of supplying all of your basic needs, including an actual bedroom for you to sleep. The extra bathroom is because I figured we'd both like this more than having to share."

She looks over the schematics laid out on Owen's workbench in front of the front porch, still a little unbelieving. "How long is all of this going to take?"

"Couple months maybe? Though I've quietly asked a couple of people if they'd be willing to help out and I got quite a few volunteers."

Okay, her eyes are bugging out of her skull now. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. They care about you, Liv." He says it so matter-of-factly, shrugging his shoulders. "Vic may have made them keep their distance, but they still care about you. Speaking of which, I found out who's been keeping your ATV fueled up."

"Really? Who?" Ever since she's started riding around on the ATV  _someone_  has made sure it has a full tank of gas every time she comes back to the island. She's never known who and was always too afraid to try and find out.

"It's Hamada, the head of the ACU. He's one of the people who volunteered to help with the building, too."

She leans against the table, feeling a little unsteady on her feet all of a sudden. " _Hamada_? I-I know him. I've seen him hanging out with Vic sometimes. I thought he was one of his buddies?"

"Apparently not. He said he's only nice to Vic out of professional courtesy, but I got the feeling it's more like he has to be nice to him or risk losing his job. Vic is pretty much his boss, after all, since he's the head of security."

Liv is still trying to figure out how to process all of this when they hear a car pull up and they turn to see Claire stepping out of an SUV, her outfit white and perfect, and her heels as deadly as ever. But what is she doing here now?

Owen must be thinking the same thing because he asks, "The social worker isn't here already, is she?"

Because what other reason would Claire have for stopping by?

"No, no, it's nothing like that," Claire says with a shake of her head, her straight red hair swaying with the movement. "I actually need you to come take a look at something, Mr. Grady."

Owen turns a little wary and a bit insulted. "Why are you calling me 'Mr. Grady'?"

Liv can already see where this is going. Their first date may have failed but they both still like each other, though they may still be denying it to themselves. They flirt whenever they're around each other and their version of flirting is petty arguments, sarcasm, and banter.

"I'm just going to go inside," she says, though neither of them seem to hear her. She quickly retreats up the porch steps and through the door into the living room.

Holy crap, it's like watching her parents make moves on each other. Talk about awkward.

Wait, since when has she thought of Claire like that?

She plops down heavily on the couch, staring confusedly at the blank T.V. She already considers Owen her dad and if he really wants to get together with Claire, it's not that big of a stretch. If the two ever got married, Claire would essentially become her mom. But Liv likes Claire, always has, even though she can be a bit consumed with her work. Her real mom is a lot worse though. Claire at least still talks to her and seems to like her.

Yeah. She could definitely do worse.

A few minutes later Owen comes through the door, looking grim. She sits up straighter, worried. Did he and Claire have an actual fight or something? He sits down next to her on the couch and takes her hand, probably going for comfort but it's not really working right now. Instead, she freaks out just a little bit more.

"Owen, what's going on?" she asks, dread pooling in the pit of her stomach.

He takes a deep breath and says, "Claire wants me to take a look at a new dinosaur. Give my opinion on her and check the paddock for vulnerabilities." He squeezes her hand. "Liv, Claire said…Claire said they  _made_  a new dinosaur and it didn't sound like in the usual sense."

Liv's entire body turns cold. "It's the new predator I've been sensing, isn't it."

A statement, not a question, because they both know there haven't been any other new dinosaurs.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I mean, what else could she be? At least now we'll finally find out what the heck she is. But I wanted to ask, and you can totally say no if you want, but I wanted to ask if you wanted to come with."

Her eyes widen and her mouth stutters incomprehensibly trying to get a word out but words seem to be failing her. He's asking her to go near that thing? Granted, she's tried to do that on her own before, but it can still  _see_  her, especially when she gets close, and she's only ever been as far as the perimeter gate. She's been trying to learn to hide her own aura from the dinosaur's sight but it's exhausting. She's only ever managed it a few minutes at a time.

What would it be like to actually be in front of that thing?

"You can say no," Owen reminds her quickly. "It's just, I'm kind of nervous leaving you out here on your own with Vic still on the loose. It's up to you though. You can stay here or come with us and find out what this thing is."

Both choices are their own versions of horrifying. What if Vic finally comes looking for her? She wouldn't put it past him to look in all the places Owen frequents, including his home. But allowing that dinosaur to see her with her real eyes? Does she dare risk it just to finally find out exactly what she is? What will she do once she sees Liv? The dinosaur is already extremely curious about her. Will she try to break out of her paddock?

But the paddocks are supposed to be secure, using the most advanced technology in the world. It should be safe, at least, safer than risking Vic finding her.

"Alright," she says quietly and with a fair amount of trepidation. "I'll go."

"Good." He tries to smile at her but it falls short a little bit. By the worried look in his eyes, he knows it. "Come on. Claire's waiting for us."

They stand to leave but at the last moment Liv digs in her backpack and grabs her little bag of seeds she always carries around with her. She's not sure what good they'd do, but she'd rather be fully armed, so to speak, than have nothing at all.

The three of them pile into Claire's car, with Claire driving, Owen in the passenger's seat, and Liv in the back. As Claire starts the car, Liv asks, "So what is this dinosaur called?"

"The Indominus Rex," she replies, sounding a bit proud.

The Indominus Rex.

Finally, the monster has a name.

* * *

As soon as they're through the gate Liv feels the monster lock "eyes" on her. It sends a chill down her spine that doesn't completely go away. She's extremely uneasy, having something so dangerous be so focused solely on her. She knows the Indominus is big, bigger than the T-Rex, and she's fully grown already which should be impossible. She reached maturity faster than the raptors and in only a fraction of the time it usually takes the big dinosaurs. Just what did those scientists do?

Claire parks the car outside the paddock near a set of stairs leading inside to what is probably some sort of control room. The three of them get out and Liv can't help but stare at the massive paddock, with walls much taller than the raptor paddock. And it's still under construction.

Yeah, there goes all her bravery. She doesn't want to get any closer to this thing, at least until the paddock is actually  _finished_.

"Hey, Owen?" she says, her voice sounding a lot smaller than it usually does. "Do you mind if I stay out here?"

His eyes are full of understanding as he leans down to kiss the top of her head. "That's fine, honey. Just stick close to the car. We shouldn't be too long."

She nods numbly, leaning against the hood of the car as they climb the stairs and go inside. The Indominus's eyes are still on her, the feeling of being watched hasn't wavered at all. She refuses to look at the auras and see if the dinosaur is also physically turned her way, trying to see her with her real eyes. This is already creepy enough as it is. She just wants Owen to find out exactly what the Indominus is, make sure she won't ever get out, and then get the heck out of here.

But then, after several minutes, Claire comes bursting out the door and down the stairs, looking like the T-Rex is chasing her.

Or something else.

"Claire, what's going on?" Liv asks when the woman is close enough, never once tripping in her high heels as she runs.

"The Indominus has escaped," Claire says, her voice surprisingly calm even though panic fills her eyes. "I'm going back to the Control Room to track it while Owen and some of the others are go inside to find out how it escaped." She yanks the car door open and slips into the driver's seat. "Just stay here and wait for Owen. It shouldn't come back this way."

And with that Claire drives off, speeding towards the Control Room.

Leaving Liv outside with a dangerous dinosaur on the loose. She gulps heavily, trying to stay calm, but she still feels those eyes on her, knows without looking that the Indominus has to be close. Why hasn't she showed herself yet? With a shaky breath, she opens herself up to the auras. What she sees confuses her.

The Indominus is still in the paddock. She hasn't escaped at all. Why do they think she's out?

Her eyes fly open, staring at the paddock in horror. "Owen." She runs towards the paddock, unsure what to do. He's still in there, the Indominus is still in there, they're trapped in there together. Without other options, she screams, "Owen, get out! Get out now! The Indominus is in there! She's still in there with you!"

The most terrifying roar she's ever heard is her only response. Her blood runs cold.

It's a tense few seconds as she waits for something to happen and when something does her breath stops. The paddock doors begin to open, an overweight man running out as soon as the crack is wide enough.

There, running right towards her and practically nipping at Owen's heels, is the largest predator she's ever seen besides the Mosasaurus. She almost looks like a T-Rex except she's larger, with longer arms, white skin, and her head is shaped different, almost like a Velociraptor. There's yelling but she can't understand what the words are or if it's just guttural screaming.

She forgets how to move. How does she make her legs run again?

Owen suddenly grabs her and yanks her away, pulling her down to lie under a vehicle she vaguely recognizes as a crane, probably what they were using to feed the Indominus. With Owen beside her and the Indominus out of her direct line of sight she finally blinks and takes in a breath of air. Owen grabs her hand, squeezes. His eyes are just as scared as she feels and that makes her feel smaller, in a way. Owen isn't supposed to be scared. He's supposed to know what to do. He's supposed to be the one with a plan to get them out of this.

They will get out of this, right?

Over Owen's chest she sees the first man who ran out. He's sitting in front of a nearby truck in an effort to hide, holding some sort of necklace in his hand. She thinks he must be praying. They all should be because there's a very real possibility they're all about to die. The Indominus then bats the truck away like a toy car. The man just sits there. There's no sense in running. He knows what's about to happen. She does too so she closes her eyes. But she can still hear, can hear the cut-off screams and the sickening crunch of the man being eaten alive.

Owen's hands fly up into the underbelly of the crane they're hiding under, sifting through pipes until he finds the one he's looking for. He yanks it down and then severs it with a knife. Liquid comes pouring out, it's strong odor identifying it as gasoline, and he pours it over them both, rubbing it into their clothes, their skin. Masking their scent.

But not their auras.

The Indominus should still be able to see her. She doesn't know if the dinosaur can see other auras, too, but she wouldn't be surprised at this point. Tightly gripping to Owen's hand, she screws her eyes shut and concentrates. She practically throws her aura over his, faster than she's ever connected to another aura before, and then concentrates on bringing them both inward into their bodies. Auras glow on the outside of the body whenever Liv looks at them. Now, she slowly draws the auras inside themselves until every single spot of light is buried beneath skin, out of sight. She then holds it, unsure how long she can keep this up. She's only ever done this with her own aura, and never for very long. How long can she hold two?

There's loud sniffing a few feet away and her breath catches again. She must be close, so close, but does she know they're there?

She bites her lip, trying to hold in her whimper of fear, trying to hold her grip on their auras, but she can feel them starting to slip.

Then the ground vibrates with the heavy footfalls of the Indominus walking away and Owen lets out a sigh of relief next to her. "She's gone," he confirms, and Liv opens her eyes, letting their auras free again.

The Indominus, thankfully, doesn't turn back around. Either she's lost interest in Liv, finally, or she has more pressing things to do. Like what, Liv has no idea.

Owen drags her out from under the crane and then crushes her to him in a hug. She grabs onto him just as fiercely, her heart still beating incredibly fast.

"She didn't eat us," she says aloud, needing to hear it. "She didn't eat us. Why didn't she eat us? She knew we were out here and must have guessed at where we were hiding. Why didn't she tip over the crane like she did the truck?"

Owen pulls back and starts to lead her towards the only remaining car, never letting go of her hand. "To the Indominus, that crane equaled food. It was the only positive relationship she had and must have been unwilling to hurt it because of that."

Liv balks. "She didn't kill us because she cared about a  _crane_?"

"Basically, yeah." They climb into the car, thankfully finding the keys in the glove box, and race down the road. "We better get to the Control Room. It's gonna be all hands on deck to catch this thing."

* * *

The security guard just inside the Control Room tries to stop Owen from entering, but when he sees Liv she just gives him one look and he lets them through without trouble. Inside, the room is a flurry of activity, and on the big screens down front she can see separate feeds from live cameras and the jagged lines of heart monitors next to men's faces. She recognizes Hamada's name and realizes it's the ACU team, going after the Indominus.

"What happened out there?" Owen demands, going straight to Claire. "There are thermal cameras all over that paddock. She did not just disappear."

Claire visibly readies herself and turns to face him with a calm voice. "It must have been some kind of a technical malfunction."

"Were you not watching? She marked up that wall as a distraction. She wanted us to think she escaped."

Liv can practically feel her face pale at that. She always knew this dinosaur was smart, can tell by the shade of her aura, but that's…that's scary smart. Almost human smart.

"Hold on," Claire says, more biting now. "We are talking about an animal here."

"A highly intelligent animal."

And that makes all the difference, doesn't it? Any animal can be dangerous, but give it intelligence? It could do anything.

"Four-hundred meters to the beacon," one of the computer techs says and Owen finally looks up at the screens.

"You're going after her with non-lethals?" Owen asks, his astonishment at their stupidity crystal clear.

"We have twenty-six billion dollars invested in that asset," an Indian man in an expensive suit says, gesturing towards the screen, and Liv realizes a bit belatedly that it's Simon Masrani, owner of the park. She wonders what he's doing here, it's not like he lives on the island, but that hardly matters now. "We can't just kill it."

"These men are gonna die," Owen says quietly but in full honesty.

Liv tunes them out, stepping closer towards the screen. It doesn't matter what anyone does now. They already made it to the Indominus.

The ACU team walks slowly, getting closer to the beacon, but even this far away Liv can see that they are not getting all that closer to the Indominus.

"She's tricking them," Liv says, throat constricting in fear. She wants to look away and yet she can't.

"How do you know that?" Masrani asks, but then they all see it for themselves. Hamada bends down and picks something up, a hunk of flesh clearly belonging to the Indominus, and buried in it is a pill-shaped device. "What is that?"

"That's her tracking implant," Owen answers in surprise, coming to stand next to her. "She clawed it out."

"How would it know to do that?" Claire asks.

"She remembered where they put it in."

"It can camouflage!" Hamada yells and then there's yelling and blood. Owen quickly grabs her arm and spins her around, holding her with her face buried in his chest, but she already saw more than she wanted to.

Hamada is dead. The man who was kind to her without her even knowing it. And based on those screams, the others are dying one by one as well.

She should be crying or something but all she can do is stand there, listening.

"Evacuate the island," Owen says when the sounds of death recede and Liv can sense the Indominus moving on.

"We'd never reopen," Claire protests, but weakly. Even she sounds small in this moment. Broken. Helpless.

Owen lets out a frustrated huff, holding her closer. "You made a genetic hybrid, raised it in captivity. She is seeing all of this for the first time. She does not even know what she is. She will kill everything that moves."

"Do you think the animal is contemplating its own existence?" Masrani asks, curiosity in his voice.

"She is learning where she fits in the food chain. And I'm not sure you want her to figure that out."

Liv already knows where the Indominus considers herself. She thinks of herself as the top. She knows she is bigger, stronger, more powerful than anything else on this island. She sees it all as hers and she plans on taking what she wants.

Including Liv, as soon as she gets the chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure where the thing with Hamada came from. I mean, someone filling up her ATV, that's something way back from chapter one, but I didn't decide who it was until I was writing this chapter. But I liked it, even though it made me really sad that Hamada still had to die though.
> 
> Hope this chapter wasn't too boring for you considering how much of it I took directly from the movie. The next few chapters definitely aren't this close though. Not in the slightest.
> 
> Next chapter will be Friday. We get to the part where I first made the decision to make this fic, the part with the Apatosaurus. It made me so sad watching that dinosaur die and then seeing what the Indominus did to the rest of the herd. That scene gave me the first push and watching Charlie, Delta, and Echo die shoved me over the cliff. Now here we are.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	19. Search

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I decided to post another chapter as a gift to you all. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it, and if you do not, a very happy Unbirthday to you!
> 
> I just want to take a moment to thank all of you lovely readers. You are my motivation to keep writing, knowing that you enjoy this story and wish to see it's conclusion. Your kudos/bookmarks/comments/subscriptions mean the world to me.
> 
> This chapter is where the line between movie and AU gets a little fuzzy. I hope you like what I've done with it
> 
> Now, go onward and enjoy!

Liv stands by as Owen tries to talk sense into Claire and Masrani, but of course none of them listen. They're thinking of their jobs and their money. They want to save the Indominus if they can, not kill it.

But if they do this their way, a lot more people are going to die.

She sticks close to Owen because that is where she feels safest. Though it's not like anywhere is safe now, not really. The Indominus is going to explore her new domain and then come after Liv. There is no hiding from her, especially since she can still see Liv in a way no one else should be able to see.

Owen tries to get into the labs so he can find out for himself exactly what cocktail of genetics the scientists used but then security finally kicks them both out, forcing them into the main room of the Innovation Center.

"What do we do?" she asks.

He sighs deeply. "I don't know, Liv. I don't know."

Her stomach tightens. Those words scare her more than the Indominus for some reason.

Through the crowd, Liv suddenly makes out Claire, looking around frantically. Their eyes meet and Liv sees relief in hers as the woman rushes towards them.

"I need you," she tells Owen, looking like she's coming apart at the seams. That kind of scares Liv, too. What could have the put-together Claire falling apart like this?

Owen must think it too because all he says is, "Okay."

"I need your help. My nephews, they're out in the Valley. Please, if anything happens to them…."

Owen draws her aside so less people can hear them and Liv follows, a pit of unease forming in her stomach.

Nephews. Meaning she's the aunt of two boys.

"How old?" Owen asks.

"The older one, um, he's high school age," she stammers, holding her hand up to indicate how tall he is and then lowers her hand. "The younger one he's, um, he's a few years…."

"You don't know how old your nephews are?" Owen asks her because, seriously, even Liv's parents know how old she is.

Claire doesn't say anything, just looks at them helplessly. She really doesn't know how old her nephews are and that kind of cements the horrible idea that's been forming in Liv's mind since Claire asked for help. Honestly, she should have realized it sooner.

Who else would neglect to take an actual day off in order to spend time with her kid nephews?

"Your nephews," Liv says slowly, like she has to drag the words out. "Are their names Zach and Gray?"

Claire blinks at her a little owlishly. "You know my nephews?"

She takes in a shuttered breath, curling her hands into fists and digging her fingernails into her palms to keep them from shaking. "I met them, earlier today. We went to see Rexy and the Mosasaurus together before Owen called to pick me up. They said they were visiting their aunt but she was too busy to spend time with them and had left them with an assistant, who they then ditched." She closes her eyes, guilt heavy on her chest. "It's all my fault."

"Hey, come on, Liv," Owen says, placing a hand on her shoulder. "None of this is your fault."

"Yes, it is." She opens her eyes to look up at him, her head swimming with dread. "If I had just told someone they had run away from the person looking after them, they would be fine. And I'm the one who recommended they go to the Valley next."

And she can feel it, the Indominus, heading towards the Valley. What are the odds that she stumbles upon Zach and Gray?

If she had to guess, pretty high.

Her stomach turns. She's basically gotten them killed.

"It's still not your fault, Liv," Claire says earnestly, trying to give Liv a reassuring smile despite her anxiety. "The Gyrospheres were supposed to all be recalled but they didn't go back." Claire's jaw clenches. "And, really, if anything, it's my fault for not spending the day with them like I should have."

"Look, let's not go passing the blame around," Owen says. "It's not going to help them any."

Liv knows he's right, so she takes in a deep breath and forces herself to calm. "Right. Let's go find them."

She starts to head towards the side exit but Owen stops her. "Whoa, hey now, where do you think you're going?"

"I'm coming with."

"No, you're not. You're going to stay here where there isn't a rampaging dinosaur running around."

"Owen!" Claire hisses. "Keep your voice down. Do you want to cause a panic?"

"I'm still going," Liv says, both of them ignoring Claire.

Owen crosses his arms in front of his chest stubbornly. "I don't think so."

"I'm the reason they're out there, Owen, but I can find them."

He pauses, considering. "Can you really?"

She smirks. "Of course. I've met them before. I know what their auras look like."

"What are you two talking about?" Claire demands.

"You'll have to tell Claire," Owen says, probably expecting it to sway her, but not this time.

"I don't care. This is more important than keeping a secret, especially when it could save their lives."

He pinches the bridge of his nose in agitation and she feels bad about asking this of him, but it needs to be done. She's their best shot. "Fine," he gripes. "But you stay next to me at all times and do  _exactly as I say_."

"Done."

Not exactly a promise but Owen doesn't catch the difference, just leads them back towards the tunnels, a bewildered Claire in tow.

They stop off at the ACU weapons locker so Owen can pick up a big,  _lethal_ , shotgun and then they commandeer an SUV to head off into the Valley. Along the way, Liv brings Claire into the circle of people who know her secret.

"You're a mutant?" Claire asks from the back seat, completely bewildered. Liv is turned around in the passenger seat to talk to Claire, sitting up front so she can direct Owen where to go.

"Yep," Liv says, trying to gauge Claire's reaction but it's mostly just shock right now. That's how it always seems to start but what will come after?

"And you can see…auras."

"Uh-huh."

"And you can use these auras to find my nephews?"

"That's the plan."

Claire nods decisively. "Alright. That's good enough for me."

Liv openly gapes at her. "Seriously, what is with all of you just being completely cool about the mutant thing? Why isn't there more freaking out?"

"You're not the first mutant I've ever met," Claire says and then hesitates a moment before adding, "My sister. She's a mutant."

And now Liv is back to gaping. "Zach's and Gray's mom? She's a mutant?"

"Yes. She's a bit of a telekinetic, though not very powerful. She'll use it for emergencies and that's about it."

Seriously, how can the world be this small? Or are there just a lot more mutants out there than Liv ever realized? "Are Zach and Gray mutants, too?"

"Not that I'm aware of, no."

Though, Claire doesn't know how old her nephews are, so Liv decides not to take her word for it.

Something prickles at her senses and Liv stiffens, slowly turning around in her seat. They're in the Valley by now, coming up on a hill, and she can sense something on the other side of it. Taking a look at the auras, she gasps in horror.

All those lives. How could she?

"Liv?" Owen says, head swiveling back and forth between her and the path before them. "What do you see?"

"Is it Zach and Gray?" Claire asks worriedly. "Are they alright?"

She swallows heavily, tears freely running down her face. She can feel their suffering. It's like the Triceratops but ten times worse. "It's not your nephews. It's…j-just look for yourselves."

They crest the hill and it's hard to miss. The Apatosaurus, lying on the ground. Owen brings the car to a stop and gets out, gun in hand, but it's not necessary. The Indominus is long gone, leaving death and decay in her wake. The Apatosaurus is scratched up and bitten and bleeding all over, the wounds deep, too deep. But her chest still rises and falls, labored, but still breathing. The Indominus just left her for dead. Didn't even finish her off, just left her to slowly suffer and die.

Flies are already buzzing around her body.

Liv follows Owen to the Apatosaurus's head and they kneel on the ground next to her. He strokes the dinosaur's head, whispering words of comfort. Liv closes her eyes, not just against the absolute grief she can see in the dinosaur's eyes or against her tears, but so she can concentrate. She looks over the dinosaur's aura to determine the extent of the damage and it doesn't look good. She's bleeding out and cannot survive on her own.

A presence next to Liv makes her look up. Claire stands next to her, eyes glassy, and slowly kneels down in the grass despite her expensive clothes. Claire is always calling these dinosaurs assets, distancing herself from them, almost like she's pretending they're not really living creatures who think and feel and want to live just like everyone else. This must be the first time she's truly connecting to the animals she looks after and Liv can see so much guilt and regret in her.

But they are not losing this dinosaur. Not today.

Liv sniffles loudly, bringing her tears back under control, and shifts so that the dinosaur's head is nestled in her lap. "You two should back up."

"Liv, are you sure?" Owen asks. "The last time you healed a dinosaur it took a lot out of you and an Apatosaurus is a lot bigger than a Triceratops."

"It's okay. I've gotten a lot better since then. But either way, I have to do this. She'll die otherwise."

Owen nods in understanding and then stands, grabbing Claire's arm to pull her up as well. He backs them up, far enough away that they won't be hit if the Apatosaurus panics and lashes out.

Liv closes her eyes and sets to work. She reaches her aura out to the dinosaur's, connecting the two and transmitting feelings of calm and comfort, trying to reassure the dinosaur that everything is going to be okay. She then reaches out the rest of the way, enveloping the dinosaur's aura with her own, making sure there are no holes and she has complete control. Carefully, she manipulates the aura, concentrating on the worst wounds first. The damage is extensive but Liv doesn't pause for a second until she's absolutely sure even the smallest scrape is healed over like new.

Opening her eyes, she watches as the Apatosaurus gets to her feet, happily calling out with a noise that almost sounds like a horn or a trumpet. Liv smiles but it is short-lived. They both turn out into the Valley, at the many more bodies of Apatosaurus who have fallen to the Indominus.

Liv finds three more who haven't died yet, and even though she hurries, she only manages to get to two in time.

"I wish I could have done more," Liv says as she watches the three Apatosaurus stand over their fallen family, calling out. It almost sounds like they're crying. "They lost so many but I couldn't help them."

"Don't do that to yourself, Liv," Owen says, coming up beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "If it wasn't for you, these three would be dead as well."

"What you did is amazing," Claire says, her tears gone but she's strangely subdued. Humbled. "Owen is right, you gave them more than what they would have had. I'm sure they're very grateful to you."

It still doesn't feel like enough, but it'll have to be. Even she can't bring back the dead.

"But why did the Indominus do this?" Liv asks. "She didn't eat them. Just hurt them and left them to die."

Owen pulls her closer, shifting the gun in his hand uneasily. "You're right, she didn't kill them for food. She's killing for sport."

* * *

It's quiet in the car as they continue on, the revelation of just how sick and twisted the Indominus is falling heavy in their minds. Humans kill for sport all the time, not just food. But human hunters, the good kind, show mercy to the animals they hunt, killing them swiftly and with as little pain as possible.

The Indominus didn't do that. She is malicious and cruel and doesn't care.

Which is why Liv stays quiet when she sees that the Indominus's aura is right on top of Zach's and Gray's. She grips the sides of her seat tightly in her hands, her fingers curling into the leather, as she watches the auras dance around each other. There's a good chance the brothers are about to die but still she doesn't say anything. It won't do them any good. Besides, Claire will probably want to see whatever is left.

However, miraculously, Zach and Gray do seem to get away. She watches their auras gain distance from the Indominus and the dinosaur gives up the chase, circling away.

They are either really smart or really lucky. She's not sure which one.

When they come across the breach in the gate, leading to the restricted area of Sector 5, it's obvious what made the hole considering the twisted metal. The Indominus has been through here, but so have the boys, and Liv has to reassure Claire for several minutes that they are still fine, they're alive.

It's a lot harder when they find the trashed Gyrosphere and Zach's phone, though. This is where the Indominus found them, tried to eat them. But they got away. They are still alive. Liv can feel it.

Owen finds tracks, two sets of human shoes and the massive feet of the Indominus. The Indominus chased them and they follow the tracks on foot until they come to a small cliff where the creek turns into a waterfall and pools down below. The boys' footprints lead right to the edge.

"Oh, my God, they jumped," Claire says.

"Brave kids," Owen agrees, and Liv thinks they were probably a combination of smart and lucky then.

"Zach!" Claire suddenly yells out to the entire jungle. "Gray!" Owen tries to shush her but she snaps at him, "Hey, I am not one of your animals!"

"Listen," Owen urges quietly, "those kids are still alive but we will not be if you continue to scream like that."

She bristles. "Alright, then what do you suggest we do?"

"You get back. Liv and I will find them."

"No,  _we'll_  find them," Claire insists, pointing to the three of them."

"You'll last two minutes in there." He glances down at her feet. "Less in those ridiculous shoes."

Claire's mouth thins and her spine straightens and Liv can tell they are no longer dealing with the woman terrified for her nephews, worried that they'll die and telling herself that it's all her fault. This is her business face that eats board members for breakfast. With steady hands she unfastens the fashion belt around her waist, yanks open her buttoned shirt, ties the ends together below her breasts so it fits snugly, and rolls up her sleeves. She then places her hands on her hips and stares pointedly at Owen.

Owen, for his part, takes in in stride and bluntly asks, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm ready to go," she says, as if it's obvious.

Owen looks about ready to retort but Liv cuts in, "Owen, just let her come. We're wasting time and they're getting further away."

Owen still doesn't like it, but he relents and they're finally on their way again. Liv guides them, Owen staying close to Claire's side, glancing at her every once in a while as if he's afraid she'll fall, but Claire is surprisingly adept in her heels. She doesn't trip, not once and keeps up with their fast pace just fine.

Zach and Gray are obviously lost. There are no maps or road signs out here, though by the lay of the vegetation, Liv can tell they're entering the part of the island where the remains of the abandoned Jurassic Park reside. Still, any roads built back then are long since overgrown. It works in their favor though. Zach and Gray are taking a meandering path, unsure which way to go, but Liv knows exactly where they are and the best way to go in order to get to them.

It would be a pleasant walk if not for the urgency of it. She's always loved the jungle, but Liv doesn't take hardly any of it in as she guides them, her eyes focused only on the boys' auras. Nothing else is going to happen to them, not if she can help it. Her powers have never been good for much, but they can save Zach and Gray. She'll make sure of it. Single-minded determination is a good way to channel guilt.

And because of it, it only takes them about two hours to catch up.

Liv's pace has been steadily picking up for the past thirty minutes. The closer they get, the more anxious she gets to see them both alive, with her own eyes and not just looking at their auras. She trusts her mutant abilities, they're a part of her, but it's just not the same.

When they come across the old Jurassic Park Visitor Center she can tell right away Zach and Gray are inside. She takes off at a run, using a flashlight app on her phone to light the way through the dark corridors of the Visitor Center. Owen and Claire call after her but she doesn't stop, not until she reaches the back of the building and stumbles to a stop just inside the doorway of what looks like a garage.

Zach and Gray are there, just opening the hood of one of the jeeps. They look a little banged up but fine.

She slumps a little in relief but manages to stay on her feet. They're alive. They really are alive.

Gray notices her first, "Liv? What are you doing here?"

Zach's head snaps up to stare at her and she smiles.

"I'm here to rescue you, of course," she says, sauntering over and giving Gray a big hug. "You guys have no idea how happy I am to see you." Turning to Zach, she hesitates. For some reason, hugging Gray, a kid so much younger than her, is a lot different than hugging Zach. But she sucks it up and does it anyway, standing up on her tip toes in order to wrap her arms around his neck. His hands hover around her for a moment, surprised, before settling on her back, holding her.

She is just so, so happy they're alive.

"You came all by yourself?" Zach asks, his breath rustling her hair.

Liv suddenly realizes just how close Zach is. She's only ever let Owen get this close to her before. Not even Barry. Feeling anxiety creeping up her back, and with no little amount of embarrassment, she steps back, fighting down a blush. "Well, no, not entirely by myself. I was just the guide."

She turns around and in just a few seconds Owen and Claire come barreling through, finally catching up. Liv's eyebrow raises, impressed. Claire kept up with a running Owen in five inch heels. Is that something she has to practice or is it natural talent?

Both brothers look shocked. "Aunt Claire?" Gray asks.

"Oh, thank God," Claire says, relief washing over her even harder than it did Liv. She rushes towards her nephews, manhandling both of them and checking them for wounds. Her fear and panic and tears are right on the brim but Claire is much too stubborn to let them spill over. "Where did you go? Why didn't you come back? I was so worried about you."

"Who's that?" Zach asks, ignoring her questions and looking at Owen, who is silently berating Liv with his eyes for just running off like that, but his head swivels in Zach's direction at the question, more than a little curious to hear Claire's response.

"He's my, um, coworker," Claire answers uncomfortably and Liv has to fight from snickering. Maybe Owen still has a chance, after all, if she's so unsure exactly what to call him. She did go straight to him when she needed help.

"He's also my dad," Liv says, saving Claire from her nephew's questioning looks.

Claire recomposes herself, sending her a grateful smile, and adds, "Technically, he's not your father  _yet_."

Liv wraps an arm around Owen's waist and he wraps an arm protectively around her shoulders, smiling down at her. "I don't know," she says. "I think Owen's been my dad for a while now."

"But what did you mean by 'yet'?" Gray asks. "Is he not your real dad?"

Owen gives her shoulders a squeeze and says, "I'm going to adopt Liv soon. Her real parents…aren't good people."

The silence is heavy and presses in on her stomach. She so does not want to talk about this, not right now, so she clears her throat pointedly. "Alright, so, Mission: Find Zach and Gray was a success. Now how are we getting out of here? We left our car a ways back."

"We were going to fix this one up," Zach says, pointing his thumb to the jeep he and Gray had been looking at.

Owen looks at the vehicle a little skeptically. "That jeep has been out here for twenty-two years. You really think we can get it up and running again?"

Zach shifts on his feet self-consciously, avoiding everyone's eyes. "It'll be no problem for me."

Gray looks up at his brother worriedly and Liv's brow furrows. Something's going on but she doesn't know what. Some instinct tells her to take another look at his aura though, so she does, paying close attention to every swirl and detail. He's scared, that much is obvious. There's something he doesn't want to admit. And the longer she stares, the more she starts to realize what it is.

"Holy crap," she whispers in stunned awe. "You're a mutant, aren't you?"

Zach takes a staggered step back, face draining of a bit of color. "H-How did you know that?"

"It's okay," she says, holding up her hands placatingly like she would to a wounded animal. She steps forward slowly but when he steps back again she stops. "Zach, it's okay. I know you're a mutant because I'm a mutant, too."

His eyes widen and some of the tension leaves his shoulders. "You are?"

She steps forward again and this time he doesn't back away. "Yeah, I am." She then digs a seed out of her pocket, holds out her hand between them, and grows a tiny blue flower in her palm. Both brothers stare at her, slack-jawed, and she grins. "Every living thing has an aura. I can see and manipulate those auras. It's how I found you guys and it allows me to do a few other things." With her other hand, she reaches out to Gray. He looks at her a little cautiously but doesn't flinch away, thankfully, and she lets out the breath she had been holding. Touching a finger to his chin, right next to a bloody scrape, she heals him, all of his little cuts and bruises.

"That…That feels weird," Gray says, disconcerted but staying still as she works. "What are you doing?"

"She's healing you, man," Zach answers for her in wonder.

"Seriously?" Liv pulls away and Gray lifts tentative fingers up to his chin, feeling around. His mouth drops open again when he finds completely smooth skin and he smiles. "That's awesome!"

"Thanks," she says, shrinking the flower back down to a seed and putting it back in her pocket. It's odd, hearing such praise for her abilities after so much of Vic's negativity. "So what can you do, Zach?"

He takes in a deep breath, probably saying this for the first time to someone not family. Liv can sympathize with how hard it can be. "I'm a technopath. Basically, I can control electricity and technology with my mind."

She grins. "That's awesome. So you were going to use that to get the car started?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

She turns to Gray. "Are you a mutant, too?"

Gray looks up at his brother before answering. "I don't know. I can retain a lot of facts and information for someone my age. I'm not sure if that's normal people smarts or if it'll turn into a mutation." He shrugs. "It could still be a few years before we find out."

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up!" Claire says, looking a little frazzled. "Zach, you're a mutant? How did I not know this?"

"Aunt Claire, you couldn't remember how old I was when you last saw me," Zach deadpans.

Claire looks a little pained at that. "I know," she says somberly, "and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry about a lot of things. I haven't done right by either of you. It's just…do your parents know? I know about your mom being a mutant so I thought…I thought at least she would have said something to me."

Zach and Gray exchange nervous glances. "Actually," Zach says, hesitating before just spitting it out, "our parents don't know yet."

Claire's eyes bulge. "What?! What do you mean you're parents don't know?"

"We haven't told them."

Liv can see that fear back, in both of them, and a niggling feeling itches uncomfortably at the back of her mind. "Zach, why haven't you told them? You do know your mom's a mutant, right?"

"Yeah, of course," he says. "She told both of us when we were little. But…."

"But what?"

He sighs. "Our parents fight a lot, we told you that, but…sometimes it's about mom being a mutant."

"Dad's not very," Gray searches for the right word for a moment before saying, "approving."

Claire balks. "What? You think your dad's anti-mutant? But he knew she was a mutant before they got married!"

"Actually," Zach says, cringing a little, "based on some of the stuff we've heard, we're not so sure he  _did_  know."

"You've got to be kidding me," Claire says, pressing a hand to her forehead. "She told me he knew. I  _asked_  her and she said she told him. Do you know how he found out?"

"I think it was by accident, sometime after she got pregnant with Gray but before he was born. I think he stuck around for us, but…."

"They're getting a divorce," Gray finishes in a mumble, staring down at his shoes.

Liv flinches. She knows what it's like to live with someone who's anti-mutant. What kind of ridicule has their mom been enduring all this time? And now Zach is scared of his own father, afraid he'll treat him the same way. That's one of the same reasons why Liv never told her mom. She's afraid her mom will turn out to be anti-mutant too.

"Oh, no." Claire quickly steps forward and pulls her nephews into a hug. They both hug her back, even Zach. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She pulls back and looks them both in the eye. "As soon as this is all over, we're going to go to your parents and talk all of this out. I promise. We'll fix this."

Something like this can't always be fixed. Liv can tell they're all thinking it. But it's a nice thought.

"In the meantime," Owen says, stepping forward from where he hung back for the little family moment, "we need to get out of here. The Indominus is still out there somewhere. So what do you say, Zach? Can you fix this hunk of junk?"

Zach steps over to the car, looking down into the engine thoughtfully. "The jeep is in good condition, it's just old. I can use my mutation to fix most of this in just a few minutes, but I'm not sensing any electricity in the battery. It's completely dead. If there was a power source out here somewhere I could juice it back up."

"Nothing out here is powered anymore. Got a plan B?"

"The only other thing is to get a new battery."

"There was that trashed car we passed a while ago," Gray pipes up. "Could we use the battery from that?"

Zach nods. "Yeah. That'll probably work."

"Alright, sounds good," Owen says and squares his shoulders. "Gray, you come with me and show me where that car is. Zach, you stay here and get the rest of the repairs done. Liv, keep an eye out for the Indominus. And Claire," he looks at her in all seriousness, "you look after my daughter, you hear me?"

She smiles, placing a hand on Liv's shoulder that's surprisingly comforting and not awkward. "Don't worry, Owen. I'll take good care of her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for changing canon characters into mutants started with Claire. I didn't want her to be a mutant, honestly, I wouldn't know what ability to give her cause she's already awesome, but I wanted her to have experience with mutants already, meaning I wanted her to have a close relationship with one. Her sister seemed like a good choice, which then lead me to the idea of the divorce having to do with Karen's husband being anti-mutant. I really liked that idea, so I started thinking about how Zach and Gray would handle it which then made me think, what if one of them were a mutant too? I chose Zach to give him and Liv something more in common, a kind of solid ground that would help move them towards a relationship if they want it. I chose technopath because of some reviews of the movie I read. A lot of people say it was too easy for them to get a car started that's 22 years old and has been exposed to the elements for so long. I can't remember the specifics, but this was my answer for it.
> 
> And I saved the dinosaurs. In your face, movie, the raptors are next.
> 
> Next chapter will be a bit of a wild ride. Okay, a LOT of a wild ride. It's time to do some running. I'll probably still post it tomorrow, on Friday, but it won't be until later in the afternoon. I'm (hopefully) going to Universal Studios with my family, but I'll post when I get back.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	20. Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting two days in a row. You guys are gonna get spoiled. Or not, cause this is the only time it's happening.
> 
> Even though I already finished NaNoWriMo. :3
> 
> I just reached the 50,000 work count a few minutes ago and verified myself as a winner. It was so much fun and the first time I've been able to accomplish it. I'm so excited right now, you have no idea. But just because I finished it a few days early, that doesn't mean I'm going to speed up my posting. I'm a day ahead because of yesterday but you're still going to have to wait for the usual posting days for the rest of them. But it's not like there's that's much more to go. We're down to the wire and we'll be finished with this story on December 3rd.
> 
> Move Along fans, I'm going to start writing the next chapter now, but you're still going to have to hold your horses. I'm going to try to get it done before December 3rd but you're still going to have to wait to get it until after this story is over either way. Don't worry, you won't have too much longer to wait and then hopefully I'll be able to get back to regular postings again.
> 
> Like I said yesterday, this is a pretty intense chapter. I hope you're ready.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy.

Liv leans against the side of the jeep, one eye watching Zach work in fascination as pieces of machinery shift back into their proper places and repair themselves seemingly on their own. Her other "eye" watches the Indominus's aura. It's closer than her liking, possibly moving their way though not traveling in a straight line directly towards them. She tries not to think about it, instead focusing on their progress. They'll get out of here before the Indominus catches up to them.

They have to.

By the time Zach is done repairing the engine, Owen and Gray return, the car battery in Gray's skinny arms. Zach takes it from him and has the car roaring to life in a matter of seconds.

Another roar answers it. She jumps, terror spiking, but then she realizes everyone else is still grinning. She was the only one who heard it. Closing her eyes, she concentrates. What she sees scares her even more.

"Get in the car!" she says urgently, pushing Owen towards the driver's door.

"Liv, what's going on?" he asks.

"She's coming!" She grabs Gray and pushes him into the back, getting in after him and then dragging Zach in after her. "The Indominus, she looked at me again and now she's coming this way. We have minutes!"

They scramble a lot faster after that, Owen launching himself behind the wheel and Claire getting in the passenger's seat. They tear out the open door of the garage, bumping along rough terrain and weaving between trees at dangerous speeds.

But it's not enough. She can feel the rhythmic thump, thump, thumping deep in her bones.

There's another roar and she knows she's not the only one to hear it this time. Owen still concentrates on driving but the rest of them look back. They're drawn to, because they know death is so close. And the Indominus definitely looks like a physical representation of death, with her white skin, jagged teeth, and slitted eyes focused solely on them.

On her.

"Owen, go faster!" she screams, the Indominus only a handful of meters behind them and steadily gaining.

"I can't go any faster!" he yells back. "If I do, we could flip!"

They're never going to make it. Not like this. They need to get the Indominus off their tails, but how? How do they stop a huge dinosaur from chasing them?

By making sure she can't follow.

Liv stands up and turns to face the Indominus, holding onto the bar running over top the jeep with one hand to keep balance.

"Are you crazy?" Zach yells, him and Gray grabbing onto her legs to help keep her steady. Or try to pull her down, she can't tell. "What are you doing?"

"Anything I can," she replies, readying her aura around her. She then reaches out with her other hand, her aura shooting out in the same direction, towards the plants they pass. The plants begin to grow at her bidding, growing feet in a split second, bushes, trees, ferns, grass, all of it merging together to where it's practically one large, living thing, like a thick vine. She directs the plants at the Indominus when she gets close enough, urging the plants to wrap around the dinosaur's legs, tripping her like tangled shoelaces. It works for a second, the Indominus starting to go down, but then she breaks through the plants and rights herself, continuing to chase after them. They gained a bit more distance between them but not enough.

Thinking fast, Liv turns around, looking in front of them. Reaching out in that direction, she connects herself to all the trees she can, ones already standing tall and those that are still seeds on the ground, unlikely ever to take root. She forces them to take root now, growing them in the distance they have yet to pass to the right and left until there are a line of thick trees standing side by side, growing on top of each other, forming a wall with a small gap in the middle just big enough for their jeep to pass through. As soon as they clear the gap she spins back around and closes it before the Indominus can reach it.

She roars, loud and angry, and starts throwing herself at the wooden wall. However, if these trees had grown naturally, they would be far older than the Indominus, Liv, Owen, any of them. Their roots go deep into the ground, their trunks are hearty, and their branches weave together to form one massive canopy, supporting each other. It's only a matter of time before the Indominus realizes she can go around, though, so Liv tries the same trick as before, entangling the Indominus's limbs with plants, anything to just slow her down, if only a little.

"It's working," Claire says, relief clear in her voice. "We're losing her."

"It won't last," Liv warns them. "We need to get back to the main park as soon as possible."

A large roaring sound, mechanical, not animal, resonates in the air. It takes a moment for Liv to realize it's the familiar sound of helicopter rotors. Who is out in the helicopter? Surely no one is coming to the island at a time like this? The Indominus hears it as well and stops struggling to get through Liv's barrier, instead breaking free of the plants wrapped around her and darting off to the side to go after the sound that must be so strange and new to her.

Owen and Claire share a look, and then Owen jerks the wheel to the side, fishtailing them to drive after the Indominus. Liv sits back down in her seat, keeping a close eye on the Indominus and making sure she doesn't decide to go after them again.

Claire unclips Owen's radio from his belt, fiddles with the channels, and then says into it. "Lowery, we found her! South of Gyrosphere Valley between the old park and the Aviary."

" _Wait, are you following the dinosaur?"_  Lowery's voice comes through, a bit static-y but clear.

"Yes. Get ACU out here. Real guns this time."

" _ACU is airborne. They took the helicopter."_

So that's who it is. It's a good thing the Indominus went after the copter then. Hopefully they'll be able to just duke it out, so to speak, and the Indominus will be dead soon.

She's never wanted a dinosaur to actually die before.

"Who's flying it?" Claire asks into the radio, but what comes back is static.

Owen stops the car abruptly at the top of a hill overlooking the Aviary. They can see the flashes of light of a large gun going off in the helicopter and hear the loud banging of the repetitive fire as the ACU shoots at the Indominus below them. Clouds of dirt burst from the ground close on the Indominus's heels but it doesn't look like any of the bullets hit the mark. The Indominus is running just ahead of the fire.

"Who is flying that thing?" Owen asks aloud. "Cause their flying is a little all over the place. There's no way they'll hit her like that."

Liv takes a quick peek at the auras in the copter. "I can see two ACU members I recognize. They hang out with Vic sometimes. And…." Her eyes widen in recognition. "That's Simon Masrani flying the plane."

"Mr. Masrani?" Claire parrots. "But he doesn't even have his pilot's license yet."

It certainly shows. With the jerky maneuvering of the copter, the gunner never gets close to the Indominus. And then it's too late. The dinosaur reaches the Aviary, barging right through the glass wall of the domed structure and allowing dozens of the Pterosaurs to escape through the hole, flying up into the air without restraint and uncaring of the metal machine right in their way. The helicopter changes targets, shooting at the Pterosaurs, but there are too many of them and they're flying way too close to the helicopter. One of the Pterosaurs knocks into the side of the helicopter, causing it to rock, and they see a small form fall.

Liv is the only one who can see the aura quickly plunge to the earth and disappear in a blink.

Another Pterosaur crashes into the front of the copter and seems to get stuck. Based on how another human aura goes out, the dinosaur's beak must have pierced the glass. The helicopter starts spinning out of control after that, smoking and continuing to get hit by Pterosaur after Pterosaur, until the aircraft smashes into the top of the dome and crashes down to the ground in a fiery explosion.

The last aura, belonging to Masrani, goes out.

"They're dead," Liv says, unable to speak above a whisper. "They're all dead."

Claire looks at her with haunted eyes, visibly shaken for the third time that day. But they don't have time to mourn. The Pterosaurs are swarming, escaping from the holes made from both the Indominus and the helicopter, and flying directly towards them. The Indominus has wandered off again, back into the jungle, but thankfully, for now, not focused on them. Owen shifts the car into gear and they're zipping off towards the park, finding a path that's relatively smooth allowing them to stay well ahead of the flying dinosaurs.

The Pterosaurs, though not technically following them, are still headed in the same direction. Towards the park. They're completely free and flying in the open air for the very first time. They want to test their new boundaries, discover what is in this new habitat, and hunt down new morsels to eat.

The thing is, the only things back in the park for them to eat are the tourists.

Claire calls ahead on the radio but it's still not enough time. There are tens of thousands of visitors. There's no way they can all get indoors in time.

By the time they reach the park gate, letting them in somewhere near Main Street, the Pterosaurs are right on top of them.

They get through the gates, and then just minutes later there's screaming.

Owen brings the car to a jerky halt and they all get out. ACU members are rushing all around them, passing out tranquilizer guns. Owen takes one and they join the hustle towards Main Street. Claire looks back at Liv, Zach, and Gray a little uncertainly, but even if they are walking into a bloodbath, sure to be dangerous, there's no way they're splitting up now. They are sticking together until all of this is over, and it's not like they can't just not help. Even if they do just want to seek shelter, the closest shelter is on Main Street.

Main Street is absolute chaos. People are running around everywhere, trying to get indoors, trying to get somewhere,  _anywhere,_ safe. Pterosaurs are flying around like a scene from  _The Birds,_ swooping down to attack people, the larger ones even picking people up and carrying them into the air.

Auras are blinking out left and right, their fear screaming into Liv's core.

Owen and the ACU form a group in the middle of the chaos, shooting up into the air with their tranquilizer guns, taking down as many of the dinosaurs as they can, but for every Pterosaur they take down five more take its place.

Liv looks around, wanting to do something to help, but not knowing what. She could try using her plants, hiding her mutant abilities the last thing on her mind right now, but there is only concrete here.

At least, on the surface.

She kneels down next to a crack in the concrete, and in that crack are weeds growing. Trying to move as fast as she can without fumbling, she pulls her packet of seeds out of her pocket and tears it open, pouring some of the seeds into the crack. Getting back to her feet she holds her hands down, palm out, and pushes the plants to grow, searching out all the nutrients they can find, and even then, she uses her aura to  _make_  them grow. The concrete buckles and cracks, plants growing up all around them, and Liv turns to the sky.

Locking onto the dinosaurs' auras, she launches her plants at them, dragging them back down to earth flapping and squawking, then wrapping them up in vines tight enough to make sure they stay restrained but not enough to hurt. They're nowhere near as strong as the Indominus so this time there is no breaking free and getting away. She finds a rhythm, her movements fluid and never ceasing, taking down as many as she can as Owen and the ACU continue to fire.

Behind her there's a yell of alarm and her rhythm falters.

Spinning she sees Zach, Gray, and Claire looking up in the sky in horror at a large Pterosaur carrying someone upside down by their feet and it only takes her a second to recognize who it is.

Zara.

Flinging out my hand, Liv send several thick vines shooting at the Pterosaur, wrapping it up tightly including its wings but my plants keep it supported in the air so that the dinosaur, plus Zara, don't go plummeting to the ground. Then she lowers them slowly, gently, until they are both lying on the concrete. Claire and the boys go to help Zara out of the Pterosaur's claws, but as soon as Gray kneels down to yank at one of the feet a small Pterosaur lands on his back, it's claws digging into the back of his shirt while its beak pecks and pulls at his hair. Gray yells, trying to swat the Pterosaur away, while Clair and Zach each grab one of the flapping wings, struggling to hold onto the squirming dinosaur. They try to pull it off of Gray but it has a firm grip on his clothes and hair. He cries out in pain.

Moving quickly, Liv sends more plants to wind around the Pterosaur but doesn't pull it off of Gray. She wraps the dinosaur in her plants round and round, like a spider spinning web around its prey. The wings, legs, body, and beak are restrained, keeping it from moving or biting. Claire and Zach are then able to extract the dinosaur from Gray, allowing Liv to pull it away to join all the others.

Gray touches the back of his head, rattled, and looks at his fingers, checking for blood. Thankfully, there isn't any. Zach runs his hand along Gray's back as well. There are tears in the fabric but that's all. "You're okay, you're okay," Zach reassures, gripping his brother's shoulder, and Gray nods stiffly, face a little pale.

"We can't stay here!" Claire yells over the screaming and screeching, pulling her nephews closer to her. "We'll only get eaten if we do!"

Zara must have felt the same thing because she's already gone, managing to pull herself free from the Pterosaur and running to seek shelter along with everyone else while they were busy helping Gray. But they can't just leave them all.  _Liv_  can't just leave them all. People, so many people, are still running around, trying to get away but finding nowhere to go, Pterosaurs nipping at their heads. Liv can't just leave them all to fend for themselves, even though she's being pulled in so many directions there's no way she can save them all.

And then there's another cry and she whirls to see Owen go down, his gun sliding across the concrete and a Pterosaur right on top of him. She freezes, terrified, because for one second all she can think is,  _Don't take him from me. Please, don't take him from me._

Owen pushes against the dinosaur, holding it back, but before it can do any damage Claire appears at his side, hitting the Pterosaur in the head with the butt of Owen's gun. It goes flying off of him and before it can recover Claire puts a few tranquilizer darts in its side. She tosses the gun aside, breathing heavy, as Owen gets to his feet. He looks part shocked and awed as he stares at Claire. Then, without saying a word, he pulls Claire towards him and kisses her.

Liv grins, relieved that Owen is apparently perfectly fine and that Claire isn't trying to hit him. She actually kisses him back.

Go Owen.

Liv moves to go towards them but as soon as she takes a step pain spikes in her head. Inhaling sharply through her teeth, she raises a hand to her forehead. The pain doesn't go away though, it's just insistently beating in her skull behind her eyes. A wave of dizziness washes over her. The edges of her vision go dark.

"Liv?" Zach asks, concerned, but his voice sounds so far away and muffled, like he's speaking into a pillow. She opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out. Instead, she pitches forward.

The world goes dark before she hits the ground.

* * *

Hearing comes back first. There are voices all around her. Familiar voices. But she can't place them.

" _What's wrong with her?"_

" _Yelling isn't going to help her. Just calm down."_

" _Calm down? How can I calm down? She just collapsed for no reason!"_

There's two of them. She should know them; she knows she should. They sound worried, but why? She wants wake up to find out what's going on but waking up is kind of hard right now. She feels so heavy, all over. Her eyelids won't budge, her toes won't budge. It feels like even her hair is weighed down. It starts to scare her. Why is it so hard to wake up? And when did she go to sleep?

" _Not for no reason. She used her abilities far more in one day than she ever has before. She probably just exhausted herself."_

That…might make a little sense? She definitely feels exhausted. So they're talking about her?

" _But when is she going to wake up? Is she going to be okay?"_

They're worried about her. Worried that she won't wake up. But who would be worried for her?

 _Owen_.

Owen is here. Barry, too. She struggles against the darkness, wanting to see them, but it's constricting, cloying, unwilling to let her go. But she fights. She fights and she fights until suddenly there's a crack of light and her eyes open. She blinks a few times, trying to get the blurs to coalesce into actual shapes, and she realizes that she's laying down in the back of an SUV, her head pillowed in Owen's lap. It's not the same one they were in before. When did they get a car again?

Owen bends over her, his worried face filling her vision. "Hey, kiddo. How you feeling?"

"I've definitely been better." Some of the pieces start to slip back into place. They were taking down Pterosaurs. She saved Zara. Gray got attacked. Owen got attacked. There was pain. And then nothing. "At least it doesn't feel like my head's going to explode anymore."

"So you don't hurt anywhere? Anywhere at all?"

"No, I'm fine, I think. Kind of tired but that's about it." With Owen's help, she sits up, looking to Barry who's in the passenger seat. "Any ideas why I passed out?"

"It is similar to something my grandfather once told me," Barry says. "He said that in the early years of learning to control his abilities he would sometimes randomly get headaches and then collapse."

"Did he ever find out why?" she asks, worried that something major may have happened to her.

"Yes, he said it would happen when he pushed himself too hard too fast." He gives her a reassuring smile. "You worked your inner self very hard today, Liv. It could not keep up and forced you to rest."

She relaxes a little. "So I'm fine?"

"Look at your aura and see for yourself. You said you can sense injuries."

She nods and turns her eyes inward, looking over her own aura carefully. There isn't a scratch on her, though there rarely ever is for very long, but still, no obvious injuries. As far as she can tell, it's as Barry says. She's just tired. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Owen sighs in relief, wrapping an arm around her to pull her into his side and places a kiss on her forehead. "Good. And don't you ever scare me like that again."

"I'll try not to." Her eyes wander towards the windows, seeing that they're back at the raptor paddock. It's darker than it was the last time she was awake, indicating they have only about an hour of daylight left. "So, what happened while I was out?"

Barry grimaces. "There's a bit of a situation involving Vic."

She groans. "Oh, jeez, what did he do?"

"He wants to use the Velociraptors," Owen says, anger simmering low in his voice, "to go after the Indominus."

" _What?_  What does he want them to do, hunt her?"

"Basically, yeah. He wants them to track the Indominus, lead us to her, and then help us take her out."

"But that's insane! The raptors are so much smaller than the Indominus, and they're not exactly good little soldiers who will easily follow orders."

Owen's eyes go dark in a way that makes Liv shiver. "He wants them to be. He's been planning this all along. Not this scenario, exactly, but finding some way to field test them."

Liv's stomach drops. "Field test them? So this is what he's been planning all this time? He wants to use the raptors…."

"In war," he finishes for her.

"You're going to stop him, right?" she asks desperately. "You can't let him do this. They won't survive in a war, let alone against the Indominus."

"I'm going to keep them from going to war. InGen will have to go through me and I promise you they won't succeed. But right now…I can't keep Vic from sending them after the Indominus. He's doing this, with or without me, and I can't stop him. The only thing I can do is help him. If I'm overseeing the operation, then it's their best chance of getting through this alive."

She swallows thickly, not liking this at all, but looking around she sees all the guys with guns. They're not part of the ACU, they're explicitly InGen security, meaning they're all under Vic's orders. She can see how he really doesn't have a choice in this. The raptors are going to face the Indominus, whether they like it or not.

And they're going to need all the help they can get.

"I'm going with then," she says, voice hard and ready for a fight.

A fight is what she gets. Owen's jaw tightens and he turns in his seat to face her more fully. "No, you're not. You're going to stay here with Claire and her nephews. I don't want you anywhere  _near_  the Indominus."

The only possible way she has of winning this is to make him see the logic behind it, so she goes through her points one by one. "I'm the best shot we have. We don't know if the raptors are going to properly go after the Indominus. Hide-and-seek is there most successful training exercise but they've never done it outside their paddock before. I can find the Indominus no problem. Plus, once we find the Indominus, there's no guarantee the raptors are going to attack her. I'm guessing you're going to go after her with lethal weapons this time but I can at least provide you with some cover. But, if we are going to get the raptors to do anything, it would be a good thing for me to go. They listen to you more than anyone, but I can talk to them directly through the pack bond and make sure they actually listen. And lastly…." She hesitates over it, because even though it's her most logical point, it's definitely going to lose some points in convincing Owen to let her go. "If I go, then the Indominus will be more focused on me than the raptors or any of you. It'll help keep all of you safe."

Owen speaks slowly, voice low, "You want us to use you…as  _bait_?"

She cringes. "It's not really bait." He gives her a pointed look and she amends, "Okay, maybe it is like bait, but come on, Owen, it's a good point! The Indominus won't run from us but come  _to_  us, because she'll be after me. And if she's after me, she'll be less likely to attack anyone else. It'll keep the raptors safe and it'll keep you safe."

"And what about you, huh?" he snaps. "How will it keep you safe?"

"I'll stay in the back behind the other security guys. The Indominus will have to get through everyone else in order to even get near me." She quirks a smile at him, challenging. "You won't let her get past you, right?"

Owen ignores the jab. "You're asking me to use you as bait against a monster you literally have nightmares about after you just woke up from using your powers so much you  _passed out_."

"I won't be passing out again. I know my limits now. As for the other thing," she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, "I can't run from the Indominus forever. Ever since she got out, I knew she'd find me eventually. It's better to do it on our own terms than hers. Am I terrified? Yes, absolutely, but I'm not going to let that stop me from doing all that I can to help make sure she doesn't hurt anyone else ever again, including me." She takes his hand and squeezes. "Let me do this, Owen. Please."

He stares at her for a long time, deliberation in his eyes, but since he doesn't outright shoot her down she figures she at least has a chance. He looks to Barry and some sort of conversation happens with only looks, frowns, and eyebrow raising before he sighs tiredly. "Alright. You can come. But we do this my way, understood?"

She grins. "Crystal."

With Owen planning the heck out of this, what could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got some major mutant action in this chapter and Liv made a big decision to use her abilities in public, something that'll come up again in future chapters.
> 
> Next chapter will be Sunday. The raptors are coming back, yay! But you know what that means. It's time for the hunt.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	21. Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a whole lot of time so I'm just gonna post this real quick.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

As soon as they get out of the car, Owen takes Liv over to the cage to check on the raptors. The squad are all already in their cattle chutes along the right wall, or raptor chutes in this case. The raptor chutes are these big metal machines, almost like miniature cages, that are designed to gently squeeze the raptors so that they cannot move at all, allowing humans to safely approach them for checkups and such. The majority of the chutes, and the raptors' bodies, are on the other side of the cage wall, inside the stables, but the raptors' heads stick into the cage, like they're playing peekaboo. Metal clamps powered by hydraulics keep the raptors from moving their heads or even opening their mouths.

Liv understands that it's necessary in order to take care of the raptors without anyone getting hurt, that it's better than knocking them out, but it still breaks her heart to see them restrained in there, every time. And right now, it's only worse. Someone's strapped cameras to the tops of their heads, like adding accessories to machines. She hopes this is the only time she ever has to see them like this.

Owen goes straight to Blue while Liv goes to one of the others, Charlie. She opens herself up to all of them, though, checking to see how they are. Their concern surprises her. They were worried about her, and Owen. They must have sensed that something was wrong, maybe that the Indominus had escaped, at the very least that their alpha and their hatchling were in danger and they couldn't do anything to help. She pets Charlie's muzzle through the bars, cooing softly and reassuring all of them along the bond. They're fine. They're safe, for now. Things aren't looking too good out there right now, but with their help maybe it will be soon.

At that the raptors growl, determined, possessive. Owen glances at her and she smirks. "They're more than willing to help," she explains, "especially since it'll mean helping to keep us safe. They don't like the feel of the Indominus. They can tell she wants to come after me and it's putting them on edge."

"Good," Owen says, leaning into Blue close to check the placement of the cameras, making sure it's not hurting her. "The more they're willing to go along with this, the better."

"But what if they go along with this too well?" Liv asks, worrying her lip with her teeth. "Won't it just make InGen want to weaponize them that much more if they obey orders so well?"

"Maybe," he mumbles, staring hard into Blue's eyes. "But they'll only listen to us. If anyone else tries to do what we do, they'll end up losing a hand. Vic seems to think that kind of hostility can be bred out, but he'll find out soon enough he's sorely mistaken." A thought makes him frown. "And if he even thinks about hurting any of these raptors because of disobedience,  _I'll_  bite his hand off."

Before she can ask if Vic would really try to kill the raptors because they refuse to listen, because no freaking way is she letting that happen either, Claire approaches the cage, followed by Zach and Gray.

"Hey, Liv," Claire says with a genuine smile, none of her usual professional mask left. This is the most open Liv has ever seen her and to see that Claire actually likes her beyond a colleague sense? It makes her happy. "Are you feeling alright now?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Liv says, threading her arms through the cage bars and leaning on them. "Just needed a catnap."

"That's good. I remember one time, when my sister and I were little, we were outside playing on the jungle gym when it started to rain. I slipped on the bars because of the water and broke my leg. Our neighbor had been looking after us while our parents were at work, an old lady and good friend, but she wasn't strong enough to carry me inside so my sister decided to levitate me. She slept for hours afterwords because it tired her out so much."

Liv nods. "Yeah, that's basically what happened to me. I did too much so my body shut down to force me to recharge."

"But now you're okay?" Zach asks, trying for nonchalant but she can see his concern in the crease of his brow.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine now. Nothing to be worried about."

"Good," Claire says again and then turns to Owen, her face twisting a little sour. "Vic is getting impatient. He wants to start planning and said he'd do it without you if you don't hurry."

Liv glances over at the Research Center, guessing that's where her father is. "Does he even know what happened to me?"

Claire looks over at the Research Center as well with a sigh. "I don't know. If he does, then he doesn't care."

"It's just," she shifts uneasily on her feet, gripping the bars in her hands, "he's always told me never to let anyone know I'm a mutant and I've openly used my abilities today. I keep expecting him to…do something."

She doesn't say what she's thinking he'll do, but she doesn't have to.

Owen pulls her into a side hug and she burrows into him, seeking comfort and the feeling of safety that always follows him. "He probably knows he can't do anything. Not right now, what with everything that's going on. He has no choice but to wait until he can get you somewhere alone. But that's not going to happen." He leads her out of the cage and then crooks a finger at Zach and Gray. "You two, come here." They glance at each other curiously but obey, standing in front of Owen and Liv. "I have a very important job for you. While we're getting everything ready for the hunt, I need you to stay with Liv at all times. Do not leave her side under any circumstances. And if a man named Vic Hoskins tries to take her somewhere alone, you don't let it happen. If he tries to force her to leave then you yell for help. You protect her, understood?"

Both boys nod, probably still very confused, but very willing to help keep her safe.

Is this what it's like to have friends? Owen and Barry don't exactly count since they're family.

Owen and Claire then leave to go help with the planning, leaving her alone with Zach and Gray.

"Hey, Liv?" Gray says.

"Yeah, Gray?" she replies, cringing internally because she's going to have to explain now, she doesn't want to explain again, but if they're going to help keep Vic away from her they have a right to know why.

"Who's Vic Hoskins?"

She sighs deeply, leaning back against the cage bars. "He was…is…." She sighs again. "He's my biological father."

"And why are we keeping you away from your dad?" Zach asks, shoulders stiff. Considering his fears about his own father, he probably already guesses at least a little bit.

Liv turns her head to look at the raptors instead of the brothers. They whine softly, sensing her distress, and she wishes she could have stayed in the cage. "It's like Owen said before. My parents aren't nice people, but my…Vic is worse."

"Does he know you're a mutant?"

"Yes."

"Is he…anti-mutant?"

She nods, unable to get her voice to work anymore.

"Does he…hurt you because of it?"

Closing her eyes tightly, she pushes her back against the bars, feeling like a cornered animal. She doesn't want to run from Zach and Gray, not really, but she wants away from this conversation, doesn't want to admit to the abuse. It's like a cancer, consuming her body, her entire life, and she wants nothing more than to cut it away and forget it ever happened. To admit to it feels like admitting there's something wrong with her. So she doesn't say anything, though it's not like it matters.

Her silence is admission enough.

Something launches into her, squishing her against the bars, and her eyes fly open to see Gray, arms wound tightly around her waist and face buried in her shoulder. After one stunned moment she holds him back, placing her head atop his. She closes her eyes again, needing a hug more than she realized.

It's weird being hugged by someone who isn't Owen, but it's also kind of nice.

She feels Zach come up beside them and then he's hugging them, too, drawing her and his brother close to his chest. "We'll keep you safe, Liv," he says softly. "Promise."

She turns her face into the crook of Zach's neck and exhales deeply, her breath coming out shuttered. A part of her worried they'd turn their backs on her once she told them about Vic, but they haven't. They're going to help keep her away from that monster.

But when she sees Vic's familiar aura coming their way she can't help but wonder if it will be enough.

"He's coming," she whispers, not moving out of the embrace.

"Then we do what Owen said," Zach tells her, moving them closer to the cage door. "We keep you away from him no matter what."

He places his hand on the keypad to the outer cage door and it opens for him with a soft click, his abilities allowing him to control the technology without needing the key code. The three of them slip inside the cage and Zach locks them in.

Vic stomps up to the cage, looking like a grumpy Rexy on a bad day. "Come on, Olivia," he snaps, his eyes sweeping over the three of them with disdain. "We're leaving."

Zach and Gray push her behind them, standing between her and Vic even though there are already bars in the way. "I-I'm not going anywhere with you," she stammers out, tempted to be cowed under her father's anger like she always is but she's determined not to give in to the fear this time.

Vic glares at her. "Don't be ridiculous, Olivia. We need to get back to the Control Room before the hunt begins. Now come on."

"No," she says, sturdier this time, and straightening her spine. "I said I'm not going anywhere with you and I mean it."

"I am your father, Olivia, and you will do as I say," he practically growls at her, hand going to the keypad. But when he punches in the numbers to unlock the door, nothing happens. His jaw clenches and he tries again, but still nothing.

"She's not going anywhere with you," Zach says and she realizes that Zach is keeping the door from unlocking.

"And who are you, you little punk?" Vic demands, anger radiating off of him, but Zach doesn't back down.

"I'm her friend."

"My daughter doesn't have any friends."

"You're wrong. And from what I understand, you're not her dad. You're just the man who supplied a few chromosomes."

Vic slams his hand against the bars with a loud bang that makes Liv flinch, the squad hissing and growling at him. He then turns his dark, fiery eyes on her. "This isn't over."

He stalks off, but none of them seem to breathe until he gets in his car and drives off.

"No, it's not over yet," Liv whispers, mostly to herself than anyone else. "But it will be. Soon."

* * *

When Owen tells the InGen security guys that Liv is going with them in the big armored truck, they try to protest. They don't see the need to take her along, they believe she'll only get in the way, and they definitely don't want Vic coming after them when he finds out. Liv sneaks in the truck while their arguing, though, so when Owen orders them all into the truck and the caravan gets underway, none of the guys realize she's in there until it's too late.

It makes things a bit awkward but it's not like they can just toss her out.

They pick up speed and Liv hunkers down in the front of the truck near the cab to concentrate, focusing on the auras. Owen's out in front of the caravan, probably on his motorcycle, and the raptors are running along beside him, excited to be out of the paddock, running free in such a large space, and on the hunt. Barry is driving on his ATV close behind them and then there's a few more smaller vehicles plus the truck, adding up to about a dozen men total to go after the Indominus. They're loaded with lethal weapons this time, she's seen the rocket launchers packed in this truck, but will it be enough? These men may be soldiers, but the Indominus is unlike anything they've ever faced before.

They're getting closer to her. She isn't moving, instead waiting patiently for them to come to her, eyes focused on Liv again. Their plan is working. Maybe a little too well.

The truck comes to a stop. They've made it. The Indominus is maybe fifty feet away now. The men file out of the truck, guns clutched in their hands, and Liv follows them out. It might be stupid, but if the Indominus decides to come after her she doesn't want to be trapped in a truck she doesn't even know how to drive. She'd rather take her chances running through the woods. With her mutant abilities, she has a better chance that way.

All of the men line up behind a fallen tree trunk, the raptor squad staring into the darkness in front of them curiously. Liv stays near the truck, watching with baited breath.

The Indominus. Is. Right. There.

She comes out of the shadows like a specter, her snowy white skin glistening in the moonlight. She's just as silent too. How can something so big make so little sound? She really is the Angel of Death, coming to kill them, tear their heads off before they realize what's coming. And they really have no idea what's coming. Liv knows Owen told the men not to fire until he gives the say so, but she would have thought the Indominus would have attacked by now. Instead, she simply stands there, staring down at the raptors.

Then she starts talking.

She makes little chirrups and rumbling growls, so much like how the raptors talk to each other, only deeper. And the raptors respond. They talk right back to the Indominus with their own chirrups, communicating across species in a way that shouldn't be possible.

Unless it isn't actually across species.

"Raptor DNA," Liv whispers aloud in horror. "They used raptor DNA."

No wonder the scientists flat-out refused to talk to Owen. But they should have, they shouldn't have kept this from them, because this changes everything. Liv looks at their auras, trying to get a sense as to what it is they're talking about, but when she looks she gasps.

The Indominus's aura is reaching out to the raptors' as they talk, trying to forge a bond. But that shouldn't be possible. The Indominus is only an animal, she shouldn't be able to reach out her aura like that, but she doesn't have time to think on it further because then the Indominus looks at the men and the raptors follow her gaze. No, not just the men, but  _Owen._ They're looking at Owen, and that's when Liv finally grasps what it is they're talking about.

The Indominus is trying to take the raptors from Owen. She's trying to assert herself as the new alpha.

Blue understands from a primal perspective. The Indominus is bigger, faster, stronger, more superior to a human in every way. To make the switch from a human alpha to the Indominus makes sense.

But the raptors imprinted on him when they were born. They're family. They're pack. That  _has_ to mean something to them, right?

Blue chirrups something, asking a question of some sort, and the Indominus answers with her own grumble. They then change their gazes, from Owen to Liv.

Her breath catches in her throat and her eyes widen in fear. The Indominus wants her, has always wanted her since the day the dinosaur was born. They can sense each other and the Indominus has never liked it, has felt threatened by her more than she's ever felt curious.

She wants to eat her.

That's what Blue's question was. She was asking what would happen to Liv if they went with the Indominus.

"L-Ladies?" Liv whimpers, her voice soft but still carrying across to them since their heads perk up slightly. Blue cocks her head at her, still staring. She's feeling confused. The Indominus is more like her than Owen is, would make a better alpha, but Blue isn't sure what to do. The others will follow her lead, whatever she decides, so Liv talks to her, both through their pack bond and aloud. "Blue, don't do this, please. Don't turn your backs on Owen. You've always thought of him as a good alpha. He takes care of you and he loves you. I know you love him too. And..." She swallows thickly, trying to fight against her growing tears. "And I love you. Please, if you go with the Indominus, she'll kill us all. Me, Owen. All of us."

_Please don't leave me. I love you. Please don't leave._

The Indominus growls something, something that tastes like a threat, and the raptors turn back to the Indominus with matching screeches of rage.

Liv grins. They won't let the Indominus have her.

And then things start exploding.

The darkness erupts in flame, someone with a rocket launcher firing even though Owen didn't give the order, but someone must have, that someone probably being Vic. The Indominus roars, more angry than actually hurt, and then there's a flurry of movement, guns, and death as the men and the Indominus fight. She doesn't know where the raptors went. They disappeared into the darkness as soon as the first shot was fired, but she knows they haven't changed sides, that they haven't picked the Indominus as their new alpha.

The Indominus isn't happy about that. She is cold fury, seeping into Liv's skin like an Arctic wind, and though these men stand in her way and she's willing to go through them if she has to, it's Liv blood she wants to taste right now.

Liv runs.

She runs as fast as her feet can carry her, stumbling around the auras of the plants, while trying to concentrate enough to hide her own aura. She still can't hold it for very long but maybe it'll give her just enough time to get away from the Indominus. The dinosaur still has her natural animal instincts, though, and the gasoline Owen poured on her earlier has probably faded too much to be of any help anymore. But that's probably for the best. She still needs to keep the Indominus focused mostly on her without running the risk of the dinosaur actually finding her and eating her. So she doesn't stop running, staying just far enough ahead of the Indominus to stay out of danger so that the others have a chance at stopping her.

It seems to work for a little while. Liv can feel herself getting further and further away from the Indominus because the men attacking her are putting up more of a fight than the dinosaur thought they would, but then something happens that makes several of the auras blink out at once. There's more gunfire and explosions. As Liv continues to run, eyes focused on the Indominus's aura, all of it combined barely makes a dent. They have  _rocket launchers_  but it's almost as if the Indominus is a tank for all the good they're doing. Even with the Indominus distracted trying to find Liv, this is proving to be not much of an advantage as they though it would.

The plan is crumbling fast, so Liv just keeps running.

Her breath gasps in and out of her, more than one kind of exhaustion starting to weigh her down, but she doesn't let up, she keeps running, keeps hiding herself from the Indominus.

And then an aura pokes up at the edge of the fighting. A raptor aura. Charlie. She barks at the Indominus, taunts her, until the Indominus runs after her and away from the few remaining men.

Away from Liv.

She collapses to her knees on the ground, her lungs working overtime and sweat trickling down her neck. Charlie is using herself as bait now, luring the Indominus away to keep her safe. Liv watches, afraid the Indominus will catch up to Charlie, but even though the Indominus has long, powerful legs, she's still no match for the speed of a Velociraptor. Charlie draws her further and further away, and then, in a flash, Charlie disappears into the jungle without a trace. The Indominus tries to find her, but it seems she can't see other auras as well as Liv can. Liv is the only one she can see so clearly, the other auras a dull blur, making her unable to find Charlie. Her frustration builds into anger and she roars, loud and long, echoing between the trees, but it is very far away from Liv, so she finally lets go of her own aura and allows it to be seen again.

Liv waits to see what the Indominus will do and is surprised when she doesn't come after her again. Instead, the dinosaur keeps walking

Towards the main park, where all those warm bodies she sensed earlier used to be. As far as Liv can tell from the auras, the tourists fled from Main Street after the Pterosaur attack and went to the docks in order to evacuate the island on ferries. Most of the people are long gone now and anyone who's remaining will be gone as well before the Indominus can get there.

Still, the dinosaur is curious, and she wants to know more about this island she considers hers.

Liv lets her head hang, failure heavy on her shoulders. What more can they do? The only plan they had left is in shambles. There are no more men to fight the Indominus. None of their weapons were able to even slow her down. How do they fight an animal like this?

The rumbling of an engine makes Liv's head snap up, swiveling around to find out where it's coming from and who it is. She hopes it's Owen. Owen will know what they should do next.

She sees the headlights of an ATV coming towards her and stands, thinking it's Barry. Good. Barry can help her find Owen and then they can regroup. Come up with a new plan. The ATV stops right in front of her and she raises her hand, shielding her eyes from the bright light shining in her face. She can see the shadow of a form on the back of the ATV, though, and it gets up and circles around the vehicle towards her.

The man stands in front of the light and her hand drops, along with her stomach. She should have checked his aura.

Because that's not Barry. Or Owen.

"You're coming with me," the man says, one of the InGen security guys that came with them to hunt the Indominus. He's in full body tactical gear and that, plus the darkness, makes it hard to see his face, but she can still see his frown.

"Where are we going?" Liv asks without moving at all. She doesn't trust this man. Something doesn't feel right.

"I have orders to take you back to the Control Room," he says impatiently.

"Who's orders?"

"Vic Hoskins's." He grabs her roughly by the arm and starts dragging her towards the ATV. "Now come on."

"No! Let go of me!" She struggles in his grip but his hand is like stone, ungiving no matter how hard she pulls. She reaches out to the plants and starts to make them grow, to reach out to the man, but before they can help her the man points a gun to her head. Both her and the plants freeze.

He tisks disapprovingly. "I don't think so. I saw what you could do earlier, out on Main Street. You're not gonna pull any little mutant tricks on me."

"My father won't like it if you kill me," she says, unsure if her words are really true but she has to try.

"Oh, I won't kill you. But I hear you heal pretty quick so hurting you is still on the table. How does a bullet in the leg sound?"

He starts to pull her towards the ATV again and she still struggles despite the gun. A gunshot will hurt worse than anything she's ever felt before but it's better than going back to Vic.

"Help!" she screams. "Somebody!"

"Shut up!" the man growls and uses the butt of his gun to smack her across the face. She sees stars.

And then there's another growl, this one decidedly not human.

The man spins them around, wrapping his arm around her neck and squeezing so her back is pressed to his chest, using her as a human shield. He points the gun in front of them but nothing is there. At least, nothing that the headlights show. Anything can be lurking in the darkness.

"Who's out there?" the man calls out, fear making his voice shake slightly. "Show yourself!"

Liv's not sure if she actually understood the demand or not, but after a breath of tense silence Delta steps gracefully into the light, teeth bared menacingly with a low, grating growl. The sharp talons on her feet tap on the ground and her hands flex, wanting to strike but holding back. Liv instantly recognizes the tactic, has watched the raptors perform it a thousand times. Delta is just the distraction while the others sneak up on him from behind.

But the man isn't just going to wait for the attack either. He cocks his gun, ready to fire. "S-Stay back!"

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Liv shouts, yanking at his arm, but then there's a flash of movement to their right. Echo launches out of the bushes before the man can even react, snapping her jaws on the man's arm holding the gun and yanking it away so he can't hurt anyone. The man screams, the pain making him drop the gun, and then he's yanked away from her as Charlie attacks him with her teeth and claws from behind.

Liv falls to the ground and rolls away, keeping her head down as she listens to the raptors tear the man apart. She can't bring herself to look but she isn't disgusted by what the raptors have done. They've saved her from a man who was going to hurt her, who was going to force her to go back to Vic.

Is it a bad thing that she cares more about her own life than the man's?

She feels a presence looming above her and looks up to see Blue standing over her protectively, watching as her sisters tear the man apart as if afraid he's going to get back up and come after Liv again. Liv pets the underside of her belly in both reassurance and thanks. Blue lowers herself just a little bit more, closer to Liv.

Long after the man's screams have ended and the raptors have had their fill Blue backs away, allowing Liv to climb to her feet while carefully keeping her back turned to whatever is left. Charlie, Delta, and Echo return to Blue's side, their mouths and claws a little bloody, but she still can't help but smile.

"Thank you," she says, petting them each on the head. "And thank you for choosing us over the Indominus. I…I don't know what I would have done if…."

Blue bops her in the middle of her chest with her head and Liv feels such an overflowing feeling of  _mine_. They want to protect her. They would never let the Indominus hurt her.

They love her.

Liv pulls them all close to her and it's both the weirdest and best group hug she's ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, no raptors dying in my fic! And yay for the raptors not turning against Owen! I tried to get in a good balance of why they probably actually did it in the movie. It is only logical for them, but in my fic it's more than that. They would have had to let the Indominus kill Liv, their hatchling, and that's something they would not do. She is their baby, no matter what.
> 
> Next chapter will be on Tuesday. And it will have something you all have been waiting for.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	22. Weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! So here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for.
> 
> Time for Vic to get what's coming to him.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

The ATV wasn't damaged when the raptors saved her from the man, so Liv takes it so they can go find Owen. The raptors form a guard around her, always keeping on high alert, with Charlie darting ahead every so often as a scout. Liv doesn't sense anyone else nearby as they make their way through the jungle but that's not going to stop animal instinct.

They are just so determined to protect her.

It's not long until they find Owen, riding through the jungle on his bike, and when he sees her he visibly relaxes, shoulders slumping. They don't try to talk over the noise of their engines, he just whistles sharply to the raptors, jerks his head to the right, and they all follow his lead, the raptors still keeping a tight formation around them but now with Owen in the lead. Blue goes to his side, the alpha and his beta, and, yeah, the Indominus never stood a chance.

They make it back to the paddock but no one's there, not even Claire, Zach, and Gray. The truck they left them with is gone, too.

Owen and Liv come to a halt, the raptors stopping around them. "Where did they go?" Owen asks her.

She casts her eyes around, searching for their auras, and finds them not far along on the road leading towards the main park. "They're heading back towards Main Street."

The same direction the Indominus is headed. Liv checks the dinosaur's location and by the looks of it, Claire and the boys will make it to Main Street before the Indominus does. They will, too, if they leave soon. That's a blessing, at least, but then what do they do?

Owen nods, eying the body of a man lying on the ground near the cage, torn up and bloody from wounds given to him by the Indominus. "They probably saw what was going on from the raptor cams. Knew we failed." He grips the handle bars of his bike a little tighter. "It wasn't safe here for them anymore and we have no other way to stop the Indominus."

Liv stares at him, a little bit desperate, a lot disbelieving. "So that's it? There's nothing else we can do?"

"What do you expect us to do, Liv? There's nothing left. I've got no more ideas. There's no more guns, none powerful enough to kill her. The only thing left to do is for us to get out of here."

"If we do that, she'll tear this park apart!" She looks at the raptors, tears shining in her eyes. "You saw the Apatosaurus. She'll kill all the dinosaurs just because she can. She'll kill the raptor squad, Owen. She hates them because they wouldn't side with her."

Owen's mouth presses thin, his entire body coiling with tension. Blue chirrups softly at him and he softens a little, reaching out to pat the side of his beta's neck, not showing any of the fear or trepidation he showed the morning he found Liv in the paddock. "I don't want them to die either, Liv. I  _want_  to stop the Indominus but we just…we can't. She's unstoppable."

"Nothing is ever unstoppable. She has to have a weakness. We just have to find out what it is."

His brow furrows at that, contemplating something for a moment, and when he looks up at her, there's a little something like hope in his eyes. "Dr. Wu. He made her. He knows exactly what she's made out of. If she does have any weaknesses, he should be able to help us figure it out."

Liv grins. "And then we can take her out. Together."

Blue barks at that and the other raptors bark as well, ready to stand with them and ready to fight. Ready to protect their pack from the one who threatens them.

"Alright," Owen says, revving his bike. "Let's catch up with Claire and the others and get back to the park."

* * *

They turn towards the road and take off as fast as they can, the raptors falling back into formation. Liv can feel their elation at being able to run so fast and so far without the hindrance of walls and Liv laughs, feeding off of it. Her heart feels lighter than it has all day. She has her family around her, safe and whole, despite the crazy dinosaur running around, and they may just have a plan on how to stop her.

Well. A plan on how to come up with a plan. Same difference, really. Either way, it finally feels like this nightmare might be over soon.

It doesn't take them long to catch up with Claire and the boys, Owen and Liv pulling up to drive in front of them and the raptors spreading to include the large truck in their circle. The ladies aren't about to let anything get past them, but they make it to Main Street without any incidents.

The Indominus is close though. She wasn't going as fast as them and she had to go through thick jungle, but she isn't that far behind.

They park their vehicles in front of the Innovation Center and Owen fills them in on their plan as they jog up the steps.

"You're right," Claire says, stopping just outside the doors. "That might just be our only hope. We'll force Henry to tell us if we have to, but," she looks down at the four Velociraptors standing at the bottom of the stairs, extremely nervous but hiding it pretty well, "what are we going to do about them exactly?"

Owen looks over the raptors as well and then descends the stairs about halfway. "Eyes on me, ladies." All four raptors instantly come to attention, focused on their alpha. "Good. Scout. Stealth mode."

The raptors split up two-by-two going in opposite directions, disappearing into the stores and buildings almost as well as they do in the jungle. Liv skims their auras to make sure they understand the commands and they do. They're to stay close, keep an eye out, but stay hidden. Liv sends them her own praise through the bond and she gets four happy trills in response.

Liv and the others then go into the Innovation Center, heading towards the back hallway of the Creation Labs, but when they enter the glass hallway everything is strangely quiet. Claire enters the key code for the door and they slip into the labs.

It's empty. There are papers scattered everywhere, lab equipment still running, and absolutely not a soul in sight, like everything was packed up and left in a hurry.

"They evacuated the labs," Claire says, surprise coloring her voice.

"Is that a weird thing?" Liv asks.

"Yes, it is. Even with an asset out of containment, the scientists are supposed to stay and keep the lab running. The embryos won't survive without them."

There's a loud noise towards the back of the lab and they cautiously follow the sound. They find men, InGen men from their uniforms, filling high-tech coolers with canisters. It's the embryos. They're taking all of the dinosaur embryos, but why?

"What are you doing?" Claire asks them but they aren't the ones who answer.

"I'm afraid that's above your pay grade," Vic says, strutting around the corner with a smug smile on his face.

"Where's Henry?" Claire demands.

His smile widens. "Dr. Wu works for us."

That one statement makes Liv's stomach quiver. Dr. Wu is supposed to work for Claire and the park. But if he really works for Vic and InGen, then he didn't make the Indominus as just a new attraction. Nothing Vic has his paws on is ever just an attraction, she knows that now.

"That's not a real dinosaur," Gray suddenly says, looking at a computer screen that must be Dr. Wu's. On it, the Indominus's file is displayed. They need that, the full file. If they can't get to Dr. Wu, then that file is the only thing left that can tell them about the Indominus.

"No, it ain't, kid," Vic says, and he seems proud of that fact. "But somebody's gotta make sure this company has a future. Imagine that one," he points to the picture of the Indominus, "a fraction of the size. Deadly. Intelligent. Able to hide from the most advanced military technology. A living weapon unlike anything we've ever seen."

"So that's the real reason InGen is involved with Jurassic World?" Liv asks, lip curling in disgust. "That's the real reason they sent you here? The Velociraptors, the Indominus, it was all so that you could turn dinosaurs into weapons."

He chuckles condescendingly. "Of course it was, Olivia. I'm not some theme park security guard. I'm InGen's head of security. These animals are the greatest military assets in the world. My main goal working here was to make sure Dr. Wu delivered. And he has, better than we ever imagined." He takes a step forward and holds out his hand to her. "Now get over here, Olivia. It's time to go."

"No," she says, shaking her head emphatically and stepping closer to Owen. "I told you, I'm not going anywhere with you. Not ever again."

"I am your father and you will come with me  _now_. The harder you resist, the worse it will be for you."

Her fists clench at her sides.

 _Enough_.

"No," she says, voice low but serious.

Vic blinks at her. "Excuse me?"

She lifts her chin defiantly and says, louder this time, "No. I'm not going with you, I'm not letting you hurt me ever again, and you are not my father. Not anymore."

Vic lets out a barking laugh, dropping his hand. "Oh, really? And who is your dear old dad if not me?"

"I am," Owen says, taking her hand and squeezing. His other hand grips his gun tighter, unsure where this is going to go but ready to use it if he needs to. "You lost the right to be her dad when you started beating her."

Vic's smile fades. "So, she told you. And now you plan on taking her from me, is that it?"

"I do."

"She tell you she's a freak, too?"

"Liv isn't a freak," Owen snaps, gripping his gun tighter. "Being a mutant doesn't make her a freak, just different. And being different isn't a bad thing."

Vic snorts, rolling his eyes. "Whatever. Freak, mutant, it doesn't matter. She still has something that I want and you're not taking it from me."

In one swift movement, Vic snatches up his hunting knife from the sheath on the back of his belt and Owen raises his gun. Neither get to use their weapons, though, because then there's a furious screech.

Echo enters the room, eyes set solely on Vic.

"Whoa, whoa, hey, easy now," Vic says, trying to sound confident and controlling as he faces off against the raptor but Liv can hear the panic in it. He holds out his hands placatingly, as if that's actually going to stop Echo from coming any closer. "Easy there, fella. We're on the same side."

There's another screech and Blue comes sauntering in from the other side. Together, the raptors stalk Vic into a corner.

Real panic starts to set in. "Hey, now!" He looks at Owen frantically. "Hey, call them off!"

Owen glances at her. "I don't think that's up to me."

Vic's eyes turn to Liv. "Please, Olivia! I'm your father. Make them back down, I know you know how. I saw it!"

She's unsure if he means what happened when he trapped her in the cage or he saw what happened earlier tonight on the raptor cams, but still she shakes her head in pity. "No, I don't. The raptors and I respect one another and they care about me, but that doesn't mean they'll necessarily do as I say."

And she knows they won't, not now. She can feel it from them, the emotions as clear as if they were speaking English.

 _Do not ask us to let him live. Even if you do, we will not listen_.  _This one will pay for what he's done._

"Sorry, Vic, but they're wild animals. They can't be tamed and they do what they want."

Blue attacks first, going for the arm with the knife. Vic tries to swipe her with the blade but Blue is much faster, chomping down on his wrist. After that, Liv closes her eyes. The raptors are killing a second man for her tonight, right in front of her, and this time it's her own father. This time, at least, she would have thought she would feel something, and maybe she might, later. Right now she's kind of numb though.

But it's finally over. Vic is gone for good and he'll never be able to hurt her again.

But the man who fathered her, who helped raise her, is dead.

Owen quickly leads them from the room, an arm around Liv's shoulders. They go back out into the hallway where they find Charlie and Delta waiting for them. Charlie sniffs at her hair and chirps questioningly, making Liv smile, small but there. She rests her forehead against Charlie's and breathes in deep, taking in the rich smell of dirt, the coppery tang of old blood, and a musky smell that's all raptor.

"It's okay, girl. I'm okay. At least, I will be."

Owen just holds her for a while, Claire, Zach, and Gray standing close behind her, Charlie and Delta at her sides. It's not long until Blue and Echo join them and she can feel a little bit of worry from Blue. She's afraid Liv is mad at her for what they did, but she reassures them easily that she's not. She can't exactly be happy about it, but she can't be mad at them either.

But it's over. At least, this is.

She pulls back from Owen and looks up at him, feeling tired but knowing they still have a lot to do. "We need to get the Indominus's file."

"Liv, if you need a minute-"

"No. I…I don't want to think about this right now, and either way, stopping the Indominus is more important. She's almost on Main Street. We need to finish this, once and for all."

"Alright," he says, placing a kiss on her brow. "You kids stay here with the raptors. Claire and I will go get the file."

She nods. Good. She doesn't have to…see it.

Owen and Claire go back into the lab, the only noise the click clack of Claire's heels, and the raptors close ranks around her again. It feels good to be in the middle of them, safe, and it helps steady her. Nothing can hurt her here, in the center of a group of deadly predators.

"I know this is going to sound dumb," Zach says, staying a careful distance away from the raptors with one hand on Gray's shoulder, "but are you okay?"

She snorts humorlessly. Yeah, it is kind of a dumb thing to ask, but the sentiment is nice all the same. "Not really. I guess I'm kind of…in shock? I don't really know. I've never been in shock before."

The corner of his mouth quirks up. "Let me know when you figure it out."

"Top of my to-do list," she says dryly, but she can feel a small smile tugging at her lips too. "I guess it's just not really sinking in that he's…gone."

"Did you want them to do it?" He nods his head towards the raptors.

"I don't really know," she answers honestly. "I mean, I was going to get away from him already anyway. A social worker was going to come tomorrow and everything, so it's not like I needed them to…kill him…in order to finally get away. But a part of me is still, I don't know,  _relieved_. That, no matter what, he won't be able to come after me ever again. There aren't any InGen strings he could pull, his sentence won't run out. He's gone for good." She strokes Delta's neck absently, staring into the distance blankly. "I wonder if that makes me a bad person."

"I don't think it does," he says, and Liv sees the sincerity in his eyes. "It just means you're human. He was a bad guy who was hurting you a lot. It's okay to be relieved that he can't hurt you anymore. If anything, he deserved a lot worse than what he got."

She quirks an eyebrow at him. "Worse than being eaten alive?"

"Sure." He crooks a smile. "I could have electrocuted him. Or set him on fire."

She chuckles, a little forced but feeling easier. "Thanks, Zach."

He shrugs. "Hey, that's what friends are for."

"Do you…really mean that?" She's thought of them as her friends for a while now, but wasn't sure about them.

"Yeah," Zach says, blushing a little. "Of course."

"Aww, Zach likes Liv," Gray sing-songs. "Zach and Liv, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-"

Zach shoves Gray in the shoulder, a little too rough, but Gray is cackling. "Shut  _up_ , Gray."

Liv can feel her cheeks turning hot as well. Or maybe it's her whole body. She knows Gray is just teasing his brother but a part of her latches onto the implication and wonders. She glances at Zach just as he's side-eying her and when their eyes meet he smiles a little.

Maybe…Maybe….

The lab door suddenly bursts open, Owen running out followed by Claire right on his heels. "We found the file," he says excitedly. "Hardcopy, with all of Dr. Wu's original notes."

He opens the file, a white, one inch binder with the words "Indominus Rex" on the spine, and they all huddle around him. Flipping through the pages, they scan for the description of what, exactly, was put into the Indominus cocktail.

"There!" Gray says, pointing to one of the pages just as Owen is about to turn them again. At the top of the page is written "Genetic Modifications".

"Good catch, kid," Owen says and then his finger is skimming down the list of animal DNA that was added to the Indominus.

Besides the T-Rex and Velociraptor DNA there's cuttlefish, tree frog, and….

"What the heck is O.H.-14?" Zach asks.

"I have no idea," Claire says. "It must be some kind of drug or synthesized enhancement. Is it listed somewhere else in the file?"

Owen flips back through the file and they don't find it anywhere else until the very back pages, in a section that is completely made up of handwritten notes, all on a substance referred to as O.H. At the beginning, Dr. Wu explains what the substance is, and when Liv reads it she backs away in horror. Owen lets out a stream of curses, at Dr. Wu, at Vic, at InGen, at anyone who would even consider doing something like this. Claire stares at Liv, eyes so wide the whites are visible all the way around the irises.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Liv manages to utter before staggering away and throwing up in a corner, her stomach heaving painfully for several minutes until there's nothing left. Her legs shake and it feels like she's going to fall but then Owen is there, wrapping his arms around her and supporting her.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Liv," he soothes softly, drawing her away from the mess. "It's okay."

She shakes her head, tears stinging at the backs of her eyes, feeling violated and betrayed worse than all of the beatings combined. "It's not okay. That," she points a shaking finger to the file that's been dropped on the floor, "is  _not okay_!"

O.H.

Olivia Hoskins.

"They used my DNA!" she cries, tears streaming down her face but she can't get them to stop. "All those check-ups with the doctor here, all the blood draws, it wasn't routine stuff at all. It was so that they could play with my DNA to use on the Indominus. That's why she can see me, Owen. They gave her my mutation."

Claire gasps. "Is that even possible?"

"I don't know how they did it. I just know they did. It explains how she can see auras. She can't see them as strongly as I can but she's always been able to see me. She can probably heal, too, that's why she's been so tough to kill."

" _Can_  we kill her then?" Zach asks. "If she heals like you do, is it even possible?"

"I don't know," Liv says, voice small and empty of any hope they had. "I've been beaten pretty bad before, bruises, broken bones. Nothing bad enough to possibly kill me, but I've always healed no matter what. I don't even know if chopping her head off like a zombie would work." She buries her face in Owen's chest, trying to fight against despair, but she can't see the light at the end of the tunnel anymore, it got swallowed up by a pair of enormous jaws. "So this is it. It's over. There is no weakness. She's indestructible and there's nothing we can do to stop her."

"Don't say that," Gray says, brow furrowed and eyes hard. "You can't say that. We can't just give up."

"Gray, honey-" Claire says, reaching out a hand to console him but he pushes it away.

"No. You were all ready to save the dinosaurs from the Indominus but now that you know she's a mutant you're just going to give up?" He shakes his head defiantly. "No. There has to be a way. Nothing is unbeatable, not even a mutant dinosaur."

Owen runs a hand roughly over his face. "But, Gray, the only way to kill this thing would basically be to tear her apart and there's just no way for us to do that."

Liv straightens, mulling an idea over in her mind. "Maybe there's not a way for  _us_  to do it, but maybe  _we_ don't have to."

"What do you mean?" Zach asks.

"Obviously, none of us are big enough or strong enough to tear the Indominus apart, but there are others in this park who just might be."

Gray grins, catching on to what she's thinking. "We need something with more teeth."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it originally was supposed to be Charlie who ate Vic? I don't know, I wrote all of this before the movie came out on DVD. I also wasn't sure if all the tourists had made it off the island yet or if some were still waiting for boats, but whatever. Not really important and besides, I figured Blue would really want in on that.
> 
> So how about that reveal? I'm not sure if anyone guessed about Wu using Liv's DNA or not. At least, no one mentioned any suspicions like that in the comments. But, yeah, that's why the Indominus has Liv's powers. She's a mutant and Wu is a very evil scientist.
> 
> Next chapter will be Friday which made me realize that I messed up last chapter. This fic ends on December 4th, not 3rd, because I post of Fridays, not Thursdays. *sigh* Sorry about that. Not sure what I was thinking. Anyway, next chapter will be the final battle. And the final post. I just have one normal chapter and the epilogue left and, like how I started this fic with posting the prologue and first actual chapter together, I'll be posting these last two together. So Friday will be the end, my friends. It's been a wild ride.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	23. Survival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp, this is it, my friends. The final update day. And the final battle with the Indominus. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I rewrote this chapter and the epilogue but I think I finally got it to a place I like. Hope you like it too.
> 
> Now, go onward and enjoy!

Sitting atop the steps of the Innovation Center, Liv's eyes have been focused on the lagoon for the past several minutes. The Mosasaurus still lurks within its waters, having been abandoned in the main tank when the Pterosaur attack began. The whale-like dinosaur is upset to have missed her last several meals since there have been no shows.

So she is hungry. Very hungry.

Liv smiles. "It looks like she's very on board with our plan. All we have to do is lure the Indominus to the edge of the lagoon and she'll take care of the rest."

"Perfect," Owen says, just taking off the last camera from Delta's head. The raptors chitter happily, glad to be rid of the uncomfortable harnesses. "How much longer till the Indominus gets here?"

"She should be rounding the corner any minute." Liv stands, brushing her hands against the bottoms of her jeans.

"Alright, let's go over the plan one more time. Me and the raptors will take on the Indominus head on. Liv, you'll provide backup and heal the raptors when you can. And the rest of you will hunker down in one of the shops until it's over. We'll lure the Indominus over to the lagoon where the Mosa will swim up and eat her. And then she'll be dead."

"Hopefully," Zach mumbles. No one says anything. They really are just guessing and hoping here.

"So, any questions?" Owen asks but then the ground shakes with rumbling steps. "Okay, never mind. Claire, kids, get in a store. Liv, stay back and try not to catch her attention. If she decides to start chasing you,  _do not_  try to lure her to the lagoon yourself. The Mosa will eat you too if you get too close."

With that lovely thought in mind, Liv ducks behind the wall of a store in the opposite direction Claire, Zach, and Gray run, because this is going to get messy real fast and she doesn't want them caught up in the middle of it, not if she can help it. The footsteps are getting louder and anticipation prickles along her skin and down her spine. This is it. The final showdown. The last-ditch effort. Do or die time.

Owen and the raptor squad stand in the middle of the street and she really hopes it's not die time. At least, not for them.

The Indominus finally steps onto Main Street and when she sees Owen and the raptors she pauses, glaring, if animals are capable of such a thing. She's really angry that the raptors would side with Owen over her, and when she starts the growling rumble of the language they share, Liv can't help but think that this is the part where the supervillain monologues. Except the raptors are having none of that, Blue just bites out what sounds like a scathing remark, the Indominus roars, and the raptors attack, Blue and Echo leaping into the air to land on the Indominus's sides, Charlie and Delta circling around behind her. The Indominus roars again, swishing her tail and knocking Delta away. She lands with a sickening crunch against a wall and Liv goes to her, hiding her aura so the Indominus is less likely to notice her.

Liv works quickly, petting Delta soothingly while she heals her and keeping an eye on the fight at the same time. Owen keeps a careful distance away from the thrashing animals, firing his shotgun whenever he gets a clear shot, which is pretty often since none of the raptors seem to be able to stay on the Indominus's back for very long, either getting thrown off or jumping off themselves in order to avoid a swipe of teeth. Liv finishes and steps back into the outskirts again, Delta immediately launching herself back into the fray.

Only for Echo to be launched into the air, hurtling towards one of the restaurants and it's grill.

Thinking fast, Liv reaches out to her plants. The plants she used to capture the Pterosaurs are still all over the street, broken and dying from when ACU must have cut them up in order to cart the dinosaurs off, but Liv brings them back to life now, surging upward to catch Echo and bring her gently back to the ground. The raptor snorts in frustration and then charges at the Indominus once more.

No one is doing a whole lot of damage but that's not the point right now. The point is to back the Indominus up to the lagoon. Normally, corralling prey where they want it is something the raptors excel at, but they've never had to maneuver an animal so much bigger than them before. For every step she takes back, the Indominus then takes another two steps forward in retaliation. The raptors are just too small and can't get in enough leverage long enough. They can't keep her on the defensive because, to the Indominus, them alone is not enough of a threat to make her retreat.

They need help. They need something bigger.

And apparently, she's not the only one thinking it because she spots Claire sprinting down the street towards her, flare and radio in hand.

"Where are you going?" Liv asks when she runs past.

"To get more teeth!" Claire shouts over her shoulder and keeps going before the Indominus spots her.

Trusting Claire to handle it, Liv turns back to the fight. Charlie is dancing around the Indominus's feet, keeping her occupied while Delta tries to hop back on the larger dinosaur's back and Echo is biting between the Indominus's shoulder blades. She just starts to wonder where Blue is when the Indominus turns and she spots her, hanging onto the dinosaur's side with her claws. The Indominus roars in frustration, surging sideways into a building in order to dislodge Blue. Liv gasps, taking a step forward, but then she sees Blue get up, shake her head a little, and then joins Charlie in her merry dance. It's not working as a very good distraction all of a sudden, though, because the Indominus is more focused on something inside the building she purposefully crashed into. She leans down and sticks her huge snout inside, jaws snapping at something.

There's yelling and then she realizes that the building isn't empty like she thought it was.

Zach. Gray.

Ignoring Owen's warnings, Liv runs towards the Indominus, flinging her hands out to direct her plants towards the Indominus's tail. The plants wrap themselves around a good couple feet at the base of the tail and then Liv uses them to pull.

The Indominus makes a sound that can only be described as a yowling cat and her head rounds on Liv, destruction in her eyes.

"Oh, crap."

Apparently the Indominus took offense to that.

Liv is the first to move, running down the street towards the Innovation Center, away from the Indominus. It's away from the lagoon, too, but Owen said not to try to lure the Indominus herself and right now it's a moot point anyway.

The Indominus chases after her and she gets a feeling this could go on for a while.

At the end of the street Liv makes a sharp right and ducks into a store, feeling the Indominus's hot breath waft her hair. The Indominus's feet skid across the concrete as she tries to stop and change direction, almost falling but righting herself at the last second. Echo is still on her back, Blue and Charlie with her now as well, all of them attacking the Indominus's tough hide furiously, but the Indominus just keeps going like she doesn't even feel it at all.

Liv is wondering if it would be safer to keep running or try to whole up in the store when a loud roar echoes through the air and through her bones, a roar she recognizes.

She grins as Claire comes into view, tossing a glowing flare right at the Indominus, hitting her in the side. The raptors seem to get what's going on and scramble away from the Indominus as the T-Rex stomps onto the street, all aged power and fury, but not old in a way that makes a person weak, where her power shrinks. Rexy is the kind of old where her power grows, the wisdom of her time on Earth making her stronger than any dinosaur on the island, including the Indominus. This is what their plan needed, the final cog in the machine, and Liv reaches out her aura to Rexy's, telling her of their plan. Rexy understands immediately and draws herself up for another roar, ready to eliminate the threat to her territory.

This is her island. It's time the Indominus learns that.

The raptors bark in agreement, standing by her side and ready to fight with renewed vigor.

The Indominus snarls at them all and attacks.

It's a ferocious battle of claws and teeth, Rexy and the Indominus going head-on, and the raptors working with the T-Rex smoothly, as if Rexy has always fought alongside them. Rexy is careful not to hurt them as she goes after the Indominus and the raptors use Rexy as a jumping-off board to get to the Indominus's head and back.

And the plan is working. They're getting her to move steadily backwards, towards the lagoon.

As soon as the dinosaurs have cleared the building, Liv rushes inside to collect Zach and Gray. They look a little shaken up but mostly okay, so she grabs Zach's hand, Zach grabs Gray's, and together they rush towards Owen and Claire where they're hiding behind a couple of pillars in front of one of the stores.

The five of them huddle together, unable to do anything but watch, as the T-Rex gets a good hold of the Indominus's neck, all but dragging her further down the street. The Indominus struggles out of it only for Blue to get on her face and start clawing at her eyes. Roaring in pain, the Indominus shakes her head back and forth until Blue is flung off, but the distraction is all Rexy needs. The other raptors jump down from the Indominus and Rexy rams into her, shoving her to the ground and taking out part of the fencing along the lagoon.

Rexy and the raptors stand firm, keeping the Indominus from moving away. The Indominus opens her mouth to roar but is cut off when the Mosasaurus breaches the water, shooting herself up into the air and half onto dry land to grab the Indominus's neck in her massive jaws.

The Indominus tries to kick her off but the Mosa definitely has a lot more teeth.

The Mosa drags her prey down into the water with her and Liv closes her eyes to watch her aura. Now that she knows to look for it, she can see the Indominus's aura trying to heal itself, even as the Mosa tears into her flesh. Steeling herself, Liv reaches out her aura to the Indominus's. The Indominus immediately latches onto her, trying to use Liv to save herself or at the very least take her down with her, but Liv doesn't give in. The Indominus may be bigger than her, has more teeth than her, but when it comes to their mutation, Liv is a lot stronger. She wraps her aura around the Indominus's, creating a thick, solid bubble that puts the dinosaur completely under her control. Liv then manipulates the Indominus's aura, suppressing her natural ability to heal.

She doesn't let go until the Indominus is in pieces, some of them down the Mosa's throat, and her aura fades from existence completely.

"It's finished," she says, opening her eyes with a sigh of relief. "The Indominus Rex is dead."

Everyone else sighs in relief as well, but instead of whooping for joy they all remain quiet, subdued. They've fought for survival all day and the exhaustion is starting to weigh down on them now that it is finally safe.

Stomping feet make their heads turn upward and she amends that. Maybe it isn't quite safe, after all.

Rexy towers over them, and Liv suddenly feels very small and fragile. Rexy could easily eat them whole, but she's not feeling animosity in her aura and the raptors are standing at her feet companionably without any worry for themselves or her and their alpha. Liv reaches her aura out to her, poking her questioningly but not getting invasive.

Rexy lowers her head towards her, large nostrils flaring and taking in her scent. The breath blows over Liv like a warm wind, she's so close. But Rexy doesn't move to eat her. Instead, Liv feels her gratitude.

"It's okay," Liv says to the others without looking away from the giant dinosaur. She definitely doesn't need to look to know Owen is pointing his gun at Rexy. "She's just thanking us for the help and for letting her out to stop the Indominus."

"That's great," Owen says tensely. "Can you tell her to please go back to her paddock or something?"

She rolls her eyes but nods, asking Rexy to please leave so they can get out of here. She doesn't ask Rexy to go back to the paddock though. She knows better.

Like she would actually go back willingly.

But she does ask if Rexy would like her to heal her wounds before she goes. All Rexy does is snort in her face and stands, heading off back down Main Street with her head lifted proudly.

Looks like she wants to keep the wounds and the scars they will become.

The raptors don't care either way, though, allowing Liv to go to them one by one and heal them. They're not too bad off. The worst wound is a broken rib from Blue when the Indominus crushed her against the building but that's it.

"So now what?" Gray asks, sagging tiredly into his brother's side.

"Now, we head to the helipad," Claire says, holding up her radio. "Lowery said he'll be waiting for us there with a chopper to take us back to the mainland."

"What about after that?" Liv asks, stroking Blue's neck. "What will happen to the park?"

Claire sighs. "Well, that depends on a lot of things, especially how much the public knows about what really happened. The odds are good no one knows about the Indominus, though, only that there was a breach at the Aviary and the Pterosaurs escaped. More than likely, InGen and Masrani Global will sweep the Indominus under the rug. But people still died and a lot were hurt, very publicly. I don't know how successful they'll be in keeping the park from being permanently closed."

"Will they close down the park? What about the dinosaurs?"

She doesn't want to leave the raptors, her pack, her family.

Claire, of course, has already been thinking ten steps ahead, like always. "Once Zach and Gray are back with their parents, I'll go to the mainland branch of InGen in order to coordinate and oversee the cleanup. We'll send some people here to get any escaped dinosaurs back in their paddocks and the Pterosaurs taken care of. Once it's safe, we'll get our people back here and looking after the dinosaurs until a decision is made."

"What about InGen, though?" Owen asks, slinging his shotgun on his shoulder. "They took all the embryos and are still probably pretty bent on getting a weapon out of all of this. Not to mention, they need to pay for all the people who died because of the Indominus. How do we stop them without dragging Jurassic World down too?"

"Carefully," Claire answers, leading them back towards the Innovation Center. "The best way to take care of InGen is to get Masrani Global on our side. It would be easier if Simon," she clears her throat slightly, trying to hide the emotion from thinking of Mr. Masrani, "if Simon were still alive, but I've dealt with the Board of Directors many times and they know better than not to listen to me."

"So they'll be able to help?"

"Yes. So long as Masrani Global was completely unaware of InGen's goal to make dinosaur weapons, they should be able to cut off InGen and leave them to hang. They'll have to rebuild their security and sciences divisions but I don't imagine them having too many objections considering it's their best option in order to save their own skins. They'll want to make sure it looks like they had as little involvement with this as possible and have everyone believe they completely condemn InGen for what they did. It shouldn't be too hard. They're a big company and InGen is just one small division."

"That's good to hear, but," Liv stops at the base of the stares, the raptors a comforting presence around her as she looks up at Owen, "what happens to me now?"

Owen's brow furrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"My…Vic is dead. Where do I go now?"

She doesn't want to go back to her mom. She will if she has to, since it will only be temporary, but she doesn't want to.

"You're coming with me," Owen says, sounding surprised that she thought she would be going anywhere else. "I'll find us a hotel on the mainland, we'll rest up for a bit, and then on Sunday we'll head back to the States together to take care of your mom like we planned." He ruffles her hair, smiling affectionately. "Everything's going to be okay, kid."

She smiles, that final worry laid to rest, so she steps up next to Owen and turns around, both of them facing the raptors. They seem a little sad and she knows they know her and Owen are leaving. "You girls be good while we're gone," she tells them, scratching the tops of their heads one by one. "We'll be back. I promise."

"You got that right," Owen agrees, patting the side of Blue's neck. "Even if InGen fires me after everything's settled, we're still coming back."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Claire reassures. "I'm sure Masrani Global will be more than willing to take up the behavioral project. You'll still have a place here with us."

"Good." Owen looks his beta sternly in the eye. "You take care of them. Take care of each other."

Blue barks sharply in affirmation, the others joining in, and then they're off, racing across Main Street to head back into the jungles of Isla Nublar. Liv's chest constricts a little, watching them go, but she knows she'll be back, that this isn't the end.

It's only the beginning.

* * *

The sun is just barely starting to rise by the time they make it to the mainland. All of the Jurassic World refugees are gathered at the docks still, one of the larger warehouses converted to house them all for emergence triage. Cots are lined up in rows, medical personnel from local hospitals and volunteers willing to help flitting around among them, bandaging wounds and comforting all they can.

There are stoic faces, crying faces, some just plain blank. All of them wondering why and how, trying to process and put themselves back together again.

There's a lot of blood. Liv can feel the pain in their auras, smell it as if it's an expensive perfume. She can't help with the pain in their hearts, but she can help with this. The question is, does she? If she decides to help, she'll have to officially out herself as a mutant. Plenty of people probably saw her yesterday during the Pterosaur attack. She wouldn't be surprised if there's even some shaky cell phone footage up on YouTube already, showing her controlling the plants and bringing down dinosaurs. But this is a lot more public, a lot more permanent. She'll end up on some government list of mutants and there will be no going back.

She looks up at Owen and he nods his encouragement.

Yeah. It's worth it, to finally use her abilities for more than just herself. To make a real difference.

Scanning over the crowd, she goes to the first person in a white doctor's coat she picks out, a middle-aged woman with dark hair and olive skin. "I want to help," Liv tells her before she can lose her nerve.

The woman glances up at her as she cleans a nasty cut on a little girl's arm. "Great, we could use all the help we can get. You can start by helping to pass out water bottles. I think Ben is handling it?"

"No, you don't understand." Liv kneels down next to the doctor, catching her gaze and holding it. "I'm a mutant with a healing ability."

The doctor blinks at her, looking skeptical. "Are you serious?"

"Here, let me." She moves the doctor's hands away from the little girl's arm and gives the girl a small smile. "Hey, sweety. Everything's going to be okay. This won't hurt a bit."

As soon as she heals the girl's arm, things move a lot faster, the minutes and patients all blurring together. They take her to the worst ones first and then going from there. Owen stays by her side through it all, making sure no one pushes her too far once people realize what she's doing. Barry joins them eventually, and she's so happy to see him safe she has to stop before healing a broken leg in order to hug him. She then gets straight back to work with the both of them keeping people back.

Eventually, Owen puts an end to it, when all that's left are people with a few scrapes and Liv is wavering dangerously on her feet. He just picks her up and carries her to the cot next to the one Claire, Zach, and Gray are resting on. She passes out as soon as her head hits the pillow, but she feels good. Like she's really accomplished something and can be proud of what she's done.

She can be proud she's a mutant.

* * *

Liv wakes to the sound of panicked babbling and when she opens her eyes she realizes Zach's and Gray's parents have arrived. She takes a moment to study them. Their mom looks nothing like her sister, her blonde hair so different from Claire's red, but she can see where some of Gray's features come from and Zach gets his from their dad.

Both parents are hugging their children and one another, obviously scared after almost losing them. She wonders if it'll last, if it'll get them through finding out Zach is a mutant and turn their marriage around.

Liv sees Claire turn away from her family and follows her gaze to see Owen near the warehouse doors. Quietly, she gets up and goes to Claire, exchanging small smiles, and they both go to join Owen.

"How you feeling?" Owen asks her, trying not to show how worried he is since her exhaustion is normal, but failing.

"I'm fine, Dad," she says with a smile, the word coming easy to her now, and he grins at it. "So what do we do now?"

He pulls her into his side, hugging her close. "We stick together for survival, of course." He looks over at Claire and holds out his hand to her. "What do you say, Claire?"

Claire's eyes shine hopefully, but they go a little worried when they turn to Liv. Liv just smiles broadly and nods her head.

Claire slips her hand into Owen's and Liv's smile gets even wider, all teeth and aching cheeks and happiness. And it is happiness.  _This_  is what happiness truly feels like, not that uneasy contentment she felt when Vic first started working at Jurassic World. And  _this_  is what family feels like, a family that loves each other no matter, loves  _her_  no matter what, and she is glad to see Claire joining it.

 _This._  This is home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the Indominus is finally dead. It's definitely been a long struggle against that dinosaur. The raptors are all safe, Rexy got to be a badaft, and the park is going to be saved. I hope my version of saving the park makes sense, I go into it a bit more in the epilogue. It makes sense in my head that the Indominus would be swept under the rug. I definitely don't think the park would be closed, they're planning an actual sequel to the Jurassic World movie after all so they can't close it. So this is how I think it happened. Well, plus a few added things next chapter.
> 
> Next chapter will be coming up in a few minutes. It's the epilogue and is short like the prologue, but it's basically just to tie up the loose ends.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	24. Epilogue - Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, here it is. The final chapter.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy, one last time.

The investigation into the Jurassic World incident is still underway, but things are looking good for the park. InGen must pay off a lot of people, because the entire thing is being labeled a tragic accident. They're saying Simon Masrani was flying a helicopter when there was engine failure and the copter crashed into the Aviary, allowing the Pterosaurs to escape. It's like Claire said, the Pterosaur attack is the only thing any of the park guests ever witnessed, they never saw the Indominus, so it's easy for InGen to twist the truth so the public never knows. They also control what the authorities find out. Liv, Owen, Claire, even Zach and Gray, are all called in for interview after interview, some of them feeling like just a rehashing of what was discussed at previous meetings, but they each give a detailed account of what happened on the island. However, none of those interviews take place at a police station, instead they're conducted at InGen. InGen then gives their statements to the police, probably heavily tweaked and no one tries to fight them on it because InGen's pockets run deep.

It helps the park, means it'll probably have a chance of reopening one day, but they all agree that InGen has to pay for what happened.

So Claire slips off to Masrani Global with everything, and, just like she suspected, the Board of Directors aren't happy with what InGen has been up to and are terrified of getting caught up in the taint. They use the Indominus file as leverage to get the embryos back and then they cut all ties with InGen, effectively cutting off InGen's potential supply of dinosaur weapons as well. And if they see  _any_  sign of InGen trying to create their own, Claire will immediately release the file to the public. She also threatens to release it if anyone so much as thinks about trying to go after Liv because of her mutant ability, making Liv extremely grateful and relieved.

When Claire comes to see them after that meeting she's grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Claire is around a lot, actually, Masrani Global is putting them all up in the same hotel while the investigation continues, and she stops by Liv's and Owen's room almost every night. Sometimes she stays, sometimes she doesn't. But it's nice, having all of them together, knowing they're not alone and reminding themselves that they made it off that island alive, that they survived and are still surviving. Claire must feel it, too, it shows in the dark circles under her eyes, but they all sleep a lot easier when it's the three of them.

When they're no longer needed for the investigation, Liv and Owen go back to the States for a few days for some unfinished business. Liv and her social worker go to court against her mom with the goal of revoking her mom's custody over her and giving Owen sole custody as her adoptive father. Liv expects her mom to fight at least a little bit but she simply shrugs and signs the papers.

It hurts, because apparently her mom didn't ever care one way or another about having a daughter, but then Owen is signing the papers to adopt her and she's signing the papers to change her name from Hoskins to Grady and then the hurt disappears completely.

She's not Olivia Hoskins anymore. She's Liv Grady. Just who she wants to be.

The tiger necklace hangs proudly around her neck now, no longer hidden but in plain sight.

Liv's mom isn't the only thing she has to settle, though. Vic's funeral is held the day after she gets her new name. Some distant cousin of his she didn't even know about takes care of it all. She's glad she doesn't have to bother with it, is almost tempted to not even go, but Owen encourages her to and so she does, Owen holding her hand the entire way. She would have regretted it if she hadn't gone, she knows that, but as she stands in front of his grave with not even a dozen other people watching with her as the coffin is lowered into the ground, all she can think about is how he never even loved her. He never cared about her in the slightest. Because, in the end, when Owen said he was going to take her away, the only thing Vic cared about losing was not his daughter, but her DNA.

She feels pity for him, though. He may not have loved her, but with so few people actually mourning him, there weren't many who actually loved him either. However, she won't share his fate. She has people who care about her, who love her, so she tosses her handful of sand into the pit and turns her back on that part of her life.

She leaves it all behind.

She packs up her things at her mom's apartment and transfers schools to the one in Costa Rica where other Jurassic World employees' kids go. Revealing she's a mutant both on the island and at the warehouse helps to get rid of some of her inhibitions her parents ingrained into her and she starts to make friends.

In the meantime, she, Owen, and Claire continue to stay at the hotel, Masrani Global content to allow them to stay. None of them have homes anywhere else, not even Claire or Owen. Both of their homes are on that island, so the three of them stick together, for survival, and wait to be allowed back, even if it is just to pack up their things and move out.

Zach and Gray convince her to make a Skype account and then they use it to talk almost constantly after the boys go back home. Zach tells her about finally telling his parents he's a mutant. His mom hugged him tight, which he rolls his eyes at, and his dad is a little wary but not openly hostile like Zach was afraid he'd be. Gray says he's hopeful their dad will get over the whole anti-mutant thing, especially since their parents are no longer actively trying to get divorced. Liv tells them good luck, not able to do anything more than just hope for the best. Claire's talking to her family a lot more, too, and they plan on coming out again once things settle down. Zach even asks if he can take her out to lunch sometime and she happily accepts, much to Owen's chagrin.

Then, after two very long weeks, they're allowed back on the island.

It's weird taking the ferry instead of the helicopter but stepping back on Isla Nublar feels the same. Except now, the previous undercurrent of fear is gone, both for the dinosaurs and for Liv. There are still some scars, though. There always will be. There are nightmares, too, horrifying visions of the Indominus or Vic or the screaming. Of Owen being torn apart by sharp claws, or Claire or Zach or Gray. Of Blue or Charlie or Delta or Echo being crushed by snapping jaws or riddled with bullets.

Owen is always there when she opens her eyes, ready to chase the monsters away. Her memories linger to haunt her, he says they probably always will, but he also says that they'll fade, over time, become blurry around the edges and easier to carry. And time is something they finally have enough of now.

All the rubble has been cleared away but there's a lot of destruction that needs to be fixed up, especially on Main Street. However, those are problems for another day, and the dinosaur handlers all split up to go to their different charges. Liv does a quick scan of the island and all of the dinosaurs have, indeed, been corralled back to their paddocks where they should be, none of them hurt. Even Rexy is healing nicely.

Four auras perk up when she checks in on them and she smiles.

Liv and Owen climb on his bike and race off into the jungle, first to his bungalow to drop off their stuff and get Liv settled into her new home. They plan on starting construction on the expansion the next day, but for now, they head to the Research Center.

When they get there Liv looks at him hopefully and he just laughs, telling her the key code to the outer cage door. She rushes to the cage, opening it up and Owen follows her inside. He closes the door firmly behind him and Liv pushes the button to raise the inner gate.

They're instantly surrounded by four excited Velociraptors, all of them seeking attention, and Liv laughs, free and happy to be back with her pack, her family.

"Hello, ladies," she says, hugging Blue's neck tightly. "We're home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's finally over. I've had a lot of fun working on this fic, and I hope you guys have had fun reading it. It's been quite the adventure.
> 
> I want to thank everyone who's read this story and everyone who's kudos/bookmarked/subscribed/commented. You guys are amazing and I love you all! You're what makes writing worthwhile.
> 
> Okay, Move Along fans, I know you've been anxiously awaiting the completion of this fic just so I'll start posting for Move Along again. Which I will be doing soon. I have the next chapter finished plus over a thousand words of the next. I'll post probably tomorrow and hopefully I can get back to posting more than just once a month again.
> 
> If anyone from this fic wants to go read Move Along, it's a Transformers fic. Really long so far and not even done yet, but I gotta warn you, because it isn't a completed fic already like this one was, it doesn't get updated nearly as often.
> 
> Just one more thing. There have been questions on whether or not I'm doing a sequel for Life Versus Living. The answer is, currently, no, not a full sequel, but I've been thinking of doing some oneshots. So far, my ideas are doing the date with Liv and Zach (especially to see protective!Owen's reaction to it all) and a visit from a certain mutant professor. Don't know when I'll do them but I just wanted you all to know so that you can keep an eye out.
> 
> Alright, hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


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